A brutal Sunday for the Bears turned into an even worse week.
Defensive end Montez Sweat, who is the Bears’ highest-paid player this season, was suspended for two games by the NFL on Tuesday for violating its performance-enhancing drug policy. He will miss Sunday’s game at Atlanta and the Bears’ Thursday Night Football home game against the Patriots before being reinstated on Oct. 23. These games hold particular significance for a Bears team that, despite a 3-2 record, sits at the bottom of the NFC North.
The two-game suspension is consistent with the sanction imposed on a first-time offender who tests positive for a stimulant, diuretic or masking agent.
That will cost Sweat two game checks, or about $2.3 million — in addition to player and team credibility.
Sweat’s absence is a blow to the Bears following their 31-7 shellacking at the hands of the rival Packers Sunday at Lambeau Field. It also undermines the culture established by general manager Ryan Poles, who traded for Sweat three years ago, and second-year head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson’s culture and force of personality were often attributed to the Bears’ success last season, when they won the NFC North and their first playoff game in 15 years.
Sweat had a team-high 10 sacks last season in what Johnson believed to be the best season of the defensive end’s career. He has two sacks and seven tackles this season. His absence, however, is crushing for a position group considered the most superficial on the team. Poles and Johnson were not drafted, signed or traded for significant help at the position last offseason, although they spoke openly about their need to improve their pass rush in Year 2 under coordinator Dennis Allen.
The defensive position has also become clearer in recent days. A week ago, veteran Marcus Davenport abruptly retired a day after making his Bears debut, playing 12 snaps against the Jets. The former first-round pick was on the team’s practice squad, but the Bears were optimistic he would be able to contribute off their bench. On Sunday, defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo – who had one sack per game in the previous three – left the loss to the Packers with a quad injury.
Defensive end Austin Booker sacked Packers quarterback Jordan Love twice, both late in the first half, and led his position in playing 72 percent of the Bears’ snaps. James Lynch, who is considered a solid run defender, started and played 27 snaps on Sunday. He can play either as a tackle or as an end.
The Bears will get a boost at the position this week. They activated Shemar Turner, their former second-round pick, from the physically unable to play list. He has recovered from a torn ACL suffered in Week 8 last year.
The Poles traded a second-round pick to the Commanders for Sweat three years ago and a few days later gave him a four-year contract extension worth $98 million. He is the team’s highest-paid player this season, with a salary cap hit of $25.08 million. He’s due to receive a $2 million matchday five bonus next year, giving the Bears a deadline to decide whether or not they want to bring him back for the final year of his contract. He has a dead cap charge of only about $4 million next year, and the Bears no longer owe him any guaranteed money.
The NFL’s PED policy is agreed upon by the NFLPA and the NFL Management Council. All players undergo a urine test at least once per championship year. Each week during the preseason, regular season and playoffs, 10 players from each team – from the active roster, practice squad and reserve roster combined – are randomly selected by an independent administrator and tested. Players can be tested up to six times during the offseason.
Mario Edwards was the last Bears player suspended for PED use, in January 2021.
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