Montez Sweat’s exit from Thursday’s practice with an undisclosed injury put Chicago’s edge depth under a brighter spotlight, and it only sharpened the case for the Bears to move quickly on a veteran pass rusher.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported on X, “Bears DE Montez Sweat heading into the building with trainer Andre Tucker,” and added, “Like [LT] Braxton Jones, he was walking on his own. But two key players have left so far.”
For a team that has spent the offseason leaning on the defensive end group behind Sweat without really adding to it, that kind of moment lands hard. Chicago had been betting that Austin Booker and Dayo Odeyingbo could carry more of the load, but Sweat’s departure makes the lack of depth impossible to ignore.
One name still sitting out there is Von Miller, and he fits the need cleanly. The two-time Super Bowl winner recorded nine sacks in 420 snaps for the Washington Commanders in 2025, and he remains one of the more established options left in free agency. Miller, a seven-time All-Pro, is heading toward his 15th NFL season in 2026 at age 37.
He is not the same dominant force he once was, but he has still been a dependable pass-rush specialist since the ankle injury in 2020 that cost him that entire season. That’s the lane Chicago would be buying into now: not a full-time star, but a proven finisher who can help create pressure in the right spots.
And that matters because the Bears can’t count on the interior to do all the work. Gervon Dexter put up six sacks in 2025, and if he repeats that production, while Grady Jarrett bounces back from a down year, there is at least a path to disruption from the middle. Odeyingbo is also spending plenty of time inside on pass-rush downs during camp, which could add more pop there if he stays healthy.
Still, if Odeyingbo isn’t going to be used regularly off the edge on clear passing downs, Chicago’s need at defensive end only grows. In that context, and especially with Sweat’s injury now hanging over the group, Miller stands out as a straightforward fix.
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What makes it feel bigger is how much stability the Bears suddenly have around that talent. The roster is no longer being asked to survive year to year, and the coaching leadership has a chance to build continuity instead of constantly patching holes. There is still plenty to prove, of course, but this is the kind of foundation teams usually point to when they start talking seriously about a sustained run of postseason contention. [Read more 🡒]