LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Chicago Bears defensive line coach Travis Smith was walking through a Soldier Field tunnel following his team’s win over the Detroit Lions on Dec. 10. As Smith made his way toward a celebratory locker room, defensive end Montez Sweat ran up to his position coach to deliver news he’d waited years to be able to share.
Chicago’s defense had battered Lions quarterback Jared Goff all day, and it was Sweat’s third straight game with at least one sack. That brought his season total between the Washington Commanders and Chicago to 10, topping double digits for the first time in his career.
“That’s always been a goal of mine ever since I got in the league,” Sweat, the 26th overall pick in 2019, told ChicagoBears.com. “It’s a cool thing to have on your resume, but I mean, I want to be a generational guy. I always want to be a Pro Bowler, I want to be an All-Pro and eventually be a Hall of Fame guy.
“But, yeah, that’s a start.”
Smith also viewed it as just the beginning.
“I said screw double digits, now it’s your second contract,” Smith said. “The whole goal for us is a third contract.”
Sweat signed his second contract after the Bears acquired him in a trade-deadline deal on Oct. 31. They quickly extended him with a four-year, $98 million contract.
So far, Sweat has made good on the investment. In addition to his team-leading six sacks with the Bears (12.5 total), the edge rusher has 13 quarterback hits, forced a fumble and broke up three passes in seven games with Chicago.
“Keep stacking them,” Smith said. “You start getting to 20 pieces, that’s when you talk about — never putting a ceiling on a man — but when you start going 20 pieces, then you’re really talking about All-Pro, Hall of Fame, all that kind of stuff, which we don’t worry about right now.
“But why settle at double digits?”
The Bears gave up a second-round pick to acquire Sweat and change the trajectory of their defense. A struggling unit has become among the NFL’s most feared with 12 sacks, 30 quarterback hits, nine interceptions and 14.8 points allowed per game over Chicago’s past four games.