Windy City Gridiron
“My appreciation grew even more. I loved him during the season, but when you watch the self-scout after the year, I think this was a guy that played at a very high level,” Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson recently said about defensive end Montez Sweat. “I talked to him yesterday about it. I would argue it was the best year of his career. Whether that showed up statistically or not, that’s debatable.”
The NFL players have voted Sweat number 91 in their annual Top 100 Players of 2026 list. This is the second time he achieved the feat, having been named 82nd in 2024.
Statistically speaking, Sweat’s 10 sacks fell short of the 12.5 he compiled during his Pro Bowl season of 2023, splitting time between the Washington Commanders and the Bears, but he put his stamp on several games in helping the Bears win the NFC North. Besides the 10 sacks, he had 53 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 18 QB hits, 5 passes defended, 3 forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
“His ability to play the run and play the pass, I thought he did a really nice job,” Johnson said about Sweat’s 2025. “Hopefully it’s something that we can piggyback on and carry that momentum into this year.”
The Bears will need Sweat to keep up his stellar play and lead Chicago’s defensive line if they hope to get back to the postseason. In his two playoff games a season ago, Sweat had 5 tackles, a TFL, a sack, 4 QB hits, and a pass defended.
You can check out the NFL’s video introducing Sweat at number 91 here, and let us know if Montez “The Mummy” Sweat is a worthy nickname!
