Montez Sweat certainly didn’t have the best sense of timing. The Chicago Bears had just lost a frustrating game in Green Bay to the Packers and would be going into Atlanta next. They needed a win and knew the defense would have to do its part. So when Sweat got slapped with a two-game suspension for a PED violation, it caught everybody by surprise. Not only would he be out against the Falcons, but also, a few days later, against the New England Patriots and their hot quarterback, Drake Maye.
There was no getting around the truth. Sweat had hung his team out to dry. Lucky for him, the Bears navigated the situation brilliantly. Thanks to the timely return of quarterback Caleb Williams, they took down the Falcons and then won a tight game at home against the Patriots. The defense played surprisingly well under the circumstances. All things considered, Sweat was off the hook. He sure seemed grateful for that. When asked about what happened with the suspension, he didn’t duck responsibility. He took it all on himself for making an accidental, but dumb mistake.
“It was nothing with the nutritional staff here or the training staff here. It was things I was doing on my own. Yeah, take that on the chin and move forward…
…It’s definitely something I’ve got to live with (the rest of) my career. I never want to cheat the game and I would never do it intentionally, but what happened happened and I’m moving forward.”
Montez Sweat was never known for such violations.
He’s been somebody who’s avoided these issues throughout his career. That is why the suspension was such a shock. The best guess is he dabbled in some sort of drug that was on the NFL’s list of banned substances. It probably wasn’t actual steroids, but it was something that could be seen as a form of performance enhancement. The two-game suspension was less a punishment and more of a warning to him to be more careful. Sweat didn’t share any specific details, but seemed pretty chastened by the mistake.
One silver lining to this fiasco is that the veteran got a couple of weeks off. His body should be fresh and healed up from any nagging injuries he may have been dealing with. The Bears will need him on Monday night against the defending champion Seattle Seahawks. They just traded for Quentin Nelson to beef up their offensive line. This makes interior rush more difficult for the defense. That means Montez Sweat, Austin Booker, and the edge rushers must pick up the slack.
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The next several weeks are big for him.
Make no mistake, the Bears have a big decision coming up regarding Sweat’s contract. Most of the guarantees he’s owed have been paid. If he doesn’t perform well down the stretch, the Bears may decide it’s time to move up by either trading or cutting him in the offseason. They’d net plenty of salary cap space. If regaining some credibility from the PED suspension weren’t motivation enough, then preserving his spot on the team beyond 2026 should be another big one.
A strong performance in Seattle is the right way to start. At least Sweat understands the situation he put the team in with his mistake. That easily could’ve spiraled out of control. Imagine if the Bears lost both games and the defense was the primary reason why. Sweat would probably be a villain in the eyes of fans, having sabotaged the team’s chances to chase a Super Bowl. Time to make up for it.
