After his trade for wide receiver Chase Claypool at the trade deadline last year proved to be a bust, Bears general manager Ryan Poles was determined not to play scared or lose his home-run swing.
“I try to take a lot of pride in it,” Poles said. “You look at things you do — if they fail or you make mistakes, you look back at why and address those. I think the key is that sometimes you become a little bit shy to make aggressive moves. That’s not how we’re wired.
“I took a lot of those things from that [Claypool] situation and went through the process and said, ‘OK, here’s where we may have messed up.’ Then for this one, it’s not making the same mistake.”
We’ll see about that. Poles stepped up to the plate and took a mighty swing again Tuesday, trading a 2024 second-round draft pick to the Commanders for defensive end Montez Sweat.
It’s a more calculated risk — while Claypool’s production with the Steelers was declining, Sweat is having his best season in the NFL at 27. He has 6.5 sacks in eight games — on pace to easily beat his career-high of nine in 2020.
But it’s still a risk. Sweat is in the final year of his contract — and Poles cannot afford to lose him, especially after the Claypool deal went sour. The franchise tag is an option, but not a great one. Rarely is a player on the franchise tag happy about it, especially when they can see turning 30 in the distance. And a franchise tag on Sweat prevents the Bears from using the tag to keep cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
Poles knows his best option is signing Sweat to a long-term contract. “I feel really confident we can get a deal done,” he said Wednesday.
But Poles is painfully aware these things are easier said than done. On Sunday, he thought he was a few days away from a deal with Johnson. On Tuesday, Poles was giving Johnson’s agent permission to seek a trade, and now the two sides can’t even see the middle, let alone find it.
As for Sweat, he’s just here to play football.
“I’m not really into the contract talks, so I don’t know too much about leverage and all that type of stuff. . . . I’m just ready to get to work,” he said. “Obviously a player always wants to have security playing the sport that we’re playing. I’m sure everything will work out.”
There’s another not-so-minor detail that has to be worked out — Sweat has to be worth the fuss. He has been a consistent, though not prolific, impact player with the Commanders. He plays the run well and can play in a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense. But he also has had the benefit of playing on a star-studded defensive line with former No. 2 overall pick Chase Young on the other side and Pro Bowl tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne inside.
“We see him as a long, fast, explosive, relentless defensive end that can help us in the run and in the pass game,” Poles said. “I see him as a multiplier. He’s going to allow everyone to play better — out entire defensive front, our corners, our safeties. And hopefully, creating turnovers and stops.”
It remains to be seen if Sweat can be that kind of impact player. Yannick Ngakoue arrived in August with an even better resume, but while he has improved the Bears’ pass rush, he hasn’t quite invigorated the defense. Ngakoue has two sacks in eight games.
Maybe Sweat can be the talented piece that makes the difference.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say ‘the guy’ yet,” Sweat said. “It’s the NFL. There’s a lot of great players on this defensive line. It’s a bigger role for me without being with the guys I was with. Everything starts up front whether that’s the O-line or D-line. So I expect everybody to play to that caliber.”
