Bears are relying on Montez Sweat and the same front to fix the pass rush
Chicago finished 23rd in pressure rate in 2025. The 2026 plan is more snaps, more blitzes, and a healthier Montez Sweat year, rather than new faces.
Chicago's 2025 defense finished 23rd in pressure rate and 25th in sacks. The roster fix this offseason was minimal: no marquee free-agent edge rusher, no first-round defensive end. Defensive coordinator Eric Washington's plan for 2026 is to ride Montez Sweat back to his pre-2024 production while leaning on a deeper rotation behind him.
What happened to Sweat in 2025?
He played hurt for half the season. A torn labrum in his right shoulder, suffered in Week 5 against Washington, never fully healed. Sweat finished with 7 sacks (down from his 12.5-sack 2023 with the Bears and his 17-sack pace from 2024 before a different injury). He had cleanup shoulder surgery in February and is fully cleared for OTAs. The team expects a return to the 11- to 14-sack range that justified the four-year, $98 million extension he got in 2023.
Why didn't the Bears add anyone?
Cap and roster priority. The Bears used their early draft capital on Caleb Williams' supporting cast (third-round TE Sam Roush, fourth-round OL upgrades) and signed WR Marvin Mims Jr. in March. The defensive front returns intact: Sweat, Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter, DeMarcus Walker, Austin Booker. Day 3 picks Shemar Turner and Tomas Patanavicious add interior depth. The bet is health and continuity, not new talent.
What does Eric Washington plan to do differently?
More five-man pressures. Washington (in his second year as DC after coming over from Buffalo) used four-man rushes on 78 percent of pass downs in 2025, the league's third-highest rate. The 2026 install includes more designed five-man pressures with linebacker T.J. Edwards and rookie safety Andrew Mukuba as blitz options. The goal is to generate pressure without dialing up risky six- and seven-man blitzes.
How does this affect the secondary?
More work for the corners. Jaylon Johnson is the No. 1 outside corner. Tyrique Stevenson on the other side. Kyler Gordon stays in the slot. If Washington's five-man pressure idea creates more man coverage looks (which it usually does), Johnson and Stevenson will have to win one-on-one matchups more often. Both are good enough to make that work, but the margin for error tightens.
What's the realistic outcome?
Top-15 in pressure rate, middle of the pack in sack total. Chicago's 2026 win total is set at 9.5, which reflects expectations of better defense and a Caleb Williams sophomore-plus leap. The pass-rush ceiling depends almost entirely on Sweat staying healthy. If he plays 17 games at his pre-injury pace, the unit can be a top-10 group. If he's limited again, the rest of the roster cannot carry it.
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: Bears relying on Montez Sweat, same unit to fix pass rush
- Bears: Eric Washington on Sweat and the defensive front
- Pro Football Network: Bears 2026 defensive front outlook
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