DE Montez Sweat putting in extra time to catch up on Bears’ scheme after trade

New Bears defensive end Montez Sweat barely had time to get the WiFi password at Halas Hall before rushing into a stretch of two games in five days. The extended break after the Panthers game gave him a chance to catch up.

Sweat used at least part of his free weekend to study the scheme. Coach Matt Eberflus said he has put in extra time with defensive line coaches Travis Smith and Justin Hinds.

“They’ve been doing everything to catch him up, and he’s done a good job with that,” Eberflus said Monday. “He’s super-smart [and] obviously a big talent. You saw all the pressures that he gave us Thursday night, and he’s going to continue to do that.”

Sweat had four pressures on Panthers quarterback Bryce Young in the Bears’ 16-13 victory. The defense got three sacks — its second-best total of the season — in part because of the attention he drew.

The Bears traded a second-round pick for Sweat at the deadline, his first practice was Nov. 2 and he played against the Saints two days later. He signed a four-year, $98 million contract extension the day before the game.

O-line reshuffle

The Bears’ offensive line has played better lately and could get even more help with the return of right guard Nate Davis, who has missed four games with a sprained ankle. Eberflus has not said whether Davis, the highest-paid offensive lineman on the team, will be back against the Lions on Sunday.

When he returns, though, the Bears have a tough decision to make. They moved Teven Jenkins from left guard to right guard to replace Davis and have been playing Cody Whitehair at left guard with Lucas Patrick at center.

Davis has played right guard his entire career, and Whitehair has only played left guard and center, but Eberflus said he thought those two and Jenkins could play guard on either side. Jenkins has worked at every O-line position but center during his short career.

“It’s a good problem to have,” Eberflus said of having three quality guards for two spots. “We’ll look at it and put our best five out there for the Lions.”

Flex watch

The NFL has until Wednesday to decide if it wants to keep the Bears-Vikings “Monday Night Football” matchup for Nov. 27. A new policy allows it to change Monday night games 12 days in advance.

While there are some attractive matchups that week, a change seems unlikely.

Several of the best games are locked in for Thanksgiving, Black Friday and national broadcasts Sunday.

Networks usually covet the Chicago market, and the Vikings are fighting for a playoff spot even after losing quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Race to No. 1

The Cardinals’ win against the Falcons helped the Bears’ positioning for the upcoming draft. With seven games left, they are in line to pick first (via the Panthers) and fifth.

After the Cardinals won, ESPN’s analytics gave the Panthers’ pick the best shot at No. 1 with a 39.3% chance, followed closely by the 2-8 Giants at 38.4%. The Bears’ own pick has just a 2.5% chance.

This and that

Bears rookie linebacker Noah Sewell will face an older brother this week for the second time in three games. Penei Sewell is a Pro Bowl right tackle for the Lions; Nephi Sewell is a Saints special-teamer. Noah said Penei has had a “huge” influence on his career because of “the way he carries himself around the game and who he’s become.”

† Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who missed the last two games with an injured right knee, didn’t practice in the period open to the media.

† Running back Khalil Herbert (ankle) looked like he was full-go during the open part of practice, but D’Onta Foreman (ankle) was on the sideline.