The Chicago Bears will be without Montez Sweat for the next two games. The NFL suspended Sweat without pay for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, the league announced Tuesday. He may be reinstated on Friday October 23.
Sweat is expected to miss Sunday’s road game against the Atlanta Falcons and the Week 7 “Thursday Night Football” matchup with the New England Patriots. His first game back from suspension will be Monday night in Seattle on Nov. 2, when the Bears face the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks.
Through the first five games of 2026, Sweat has recorded seven tackles and two sacks, the latter ranking third on the team. It’s been a relatively slow start for the passer, whose 8.8% quarterback pressure rate is lower than any of his marks from the 2019-25 season. His sack time of 7.18 seconds is also a career-worst by almost two full seconds.
Despite the modest five-game stretch, Sweat remains vital to the Bears’ defensive front, which is relatively thin on the edge. Last season, he led the team in sacks, tackles for loss and quarterback hits, and he paced the team in sacks the previous two years. He earned the first and only Pro Bowl selection of his career in 2023 when he opened the year with the Washington Commanders and closed it in Chicago.
Sweat’s six turnovers caused by pressure in 2025 were a career high and ranked second in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats.
Bears pass rush without Montez Sweat
Sweat has only missed one game since arriving in Chicago three years ago. The Bears recorded three sacks in that 2024 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but none of the players who recorded them remain on the list. It will mostly be up to Dayo Odeyingbo and Austin Booker to step up during Sweat’s suspension, and the former’s status is in question after leaving Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers with a quad injury. If Odeyingbo can’t play, James Lynch would be the next man across from Booker.
Booker is the team leader in sacks, quarterback hits and tackles for loss thus far, and he’s also responsible for a forced fumble. He’s done all of this despite coming off the bench in each of the five games, so perhaps the pass rush won’t regress as he steps into a starting role. Odeyingbo, meanwhile, also ranks ahead of Sweat with three sacks.
Chicago’s defense had a long day in Week 5 during their 31-7 rivalry loss, but excelled in Weeks 2-4, allowing a total of 28 points in three games. He may not have to shoulder as much of the load in the future, as quarterback Caleb Williams is on track to potentially return from his hamstring strain on Sunday. The timing of Williams’ return couldn’t be more opportune, considering Sweat’s planned absence.
Here’s how the Bears’ schedule is shaping up during and after Sweat’s suspension:
- Week 6: at Falcons ā Hanging Sweat
- Week 7: vs Patriots (Thursday) ā Hanging Sweatshirt
- Week 8: at Seahawks (Monday) ā Sweatshirt eligible for reinstatement
- Week 9: against the buccaneers
- Week 10: BYE
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