Bear Digest

Montez Sweat Left Off of the All-NFC North Defensive Line

Voting for On SI's All-NFC North team put Rashan Gary and Aidan Hutchinson ahead Montez Sweat, in another slight of the Bears edge known for the "Sweat Effect."

Gene Chamberlain

Montez Sweat sacks Jared Goff last season in a Bears loss at Detroit. Sweat had a career-high 12 1/2 sacks in 2023.
Montez Sweat sacks Jared Goff last season in a Bears loss at Detroit. Sweat had a career-high 12 1/2 sacks in 2023. / Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
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Bears edge rusher Montez Sweat arrived to save the day for Matt Eberflus’ defense last year and the end result become known as “the Sweat effect.”

Sweat is what GM Ryan Poles refers to as a “multiplier,” as he makes those around him better and did for the Bears defense last season. It started with a violent sack of Jared Goff and he went on to a career-high 12 ½ sacks, including six with the Bears that helped lead to his own Pro Bowl berth.

Sweat didn’t even seem bothered by Eberflus’ tough HITS principle.

“We have a standard of how we operate and it’s coached by the coaches and enforced by the players,” Eberflus said. :He understood that coming in, too.

“He was very clear with our message on how we do things and he bought into it and he got better every single week. We anticipate that this year, too.” 

Apparently “the Sweat effect” is not as great as “the Gary effect,” however,

In a vote of On Si publishers from the NFC North, Sweat could not make the first team as an edge rusher and lost out to Rashan Gary of Green Bay. Sweat finished third in voting and the two edge spots went to Gary and Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson.  Although Sweat came in third, he was fourth on two ballots.

Maybe he simply needs to pay his dues now in the NFC North instead of only the NFC.

Sweat has 10 more sacks (41 ½), 35 more pressures (153), 21 more tackles for loss (51) and 42 more tackles than Gary in the same number of seasons.

It is true Gary had one season with a bad knee injury but he has played only three more games than Sweat, and so the fact Sweat has been healthier overall is being held against him?

It’s nothing new for Sweat to be ignored. He never made the Pro Bowl until this past season and has always been more of an all-around edge player than a sacks garbage man, like many edge rushers are.

Also, Sweat has played for losing teams while Gary has been on a winning team with Green Bay.

Here is the defensive line chosen by NFC North On SI publishers.

It must be noted Bears defensive tackle Andrew Billings did not make the team and that Detroit’s D.J. Reader did make it.

It must also be noted Reader, who obviously hasn’t played a down for the Lions yet, has been in even fewer games as an NFC North player than Sweat.

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All-NFC North

Defensive Tackles

D.J. Reader, Lions

The Lions sought to add a viable nose tackle this offseason and did so with the signing of DJ Reader. An experienced veteran, Reader has carved out a nice reputation in the NFL as one of the league’s best run stuffers. 

Reader also has legitimate pass-rush juice, notching 34 pressures a year ago. With how much he drew double teams and extra blockers from opponents last year, the veteran can also free up other players along the defensive line such as Alim McNeill. 

Detroit has the potential to have a very solid defensive line tandem in Reader and McNeill. More than that, Reader has already been praised by some of the younger players on the defensive line for his leadership. Though he may not be healthy for the start of training camp, the veteran defender is expected to play a massive role for his new team in 2024. 

-John Maakaron, Lions On SI

Kenny Clark, Green Bay Packers

Clark, who seemingly has been with the Packers since the Glory Years but is only 28, is coming off a third Pro Bowl season in which he set career highs with 7.5 sacks, 13 tackles for losses and 16 quarterback hits. He is the rare three-down defensive tackle capable of burying a running back in the backfield on first down and sacking the quarterback on third down.

That’s evident in the league data. On a per-play basis, Green Bay’s defense was 0.51 yards better on passing plays and 0.18 yards better on rushing plays when he was on the field vs. when he was on the sideline.

His 45 quarterback pressures ranked fourth among interior defensive linemen, according to PFF. His average tackle came 1.5 yards downfield, also the best mark of his career. He wins with power, technique and underrated athleticism.

Clark, who missed just one game the last three seasons, is entering his final season under contract and seems likely to be given a contract extension at some point this season. After years of being asked to read and react and plug gaps, new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is implementing an attacking 4-3 scheme that should turn Clark loose for even more impact plays.

-Bill Huber, Packers On SI

DE Aidan Hutchinson

Hutchinson didn’t have a flashy total when it came to sacks in 2023, but he asserted himself as one of the league’s best at putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. He ranked second at the conclusion of the campaign in pressures, one behind Nick Bosa across the regular season and postseason. 

At points last season, Hutchinson was a one-man army in the pass-rush effort. Detroit struggled to get consistent production from any of its other options, therefore allowing opposing teams to take their chances by doubling the Michigan product. 

Hutchinson appears primed for a big year and has built a reputation as a feared pass-rusher. He was unblockable at points in the postseason, and notched eight sacks across the final five games from Week 17 through the NFC Championship. He’s also eligible for an extension beginning after the season, so the hometown hero could set himself up to cash in nicely with a strong 2024 campaign. 

-Jon Maakaron, Lions On SI

Rashan Gary, Green Bay Packers

In ESPN’s edge-defender rankings, which were built on a poll of NFL executives, scouts and coaches, this quote from a scout said it all: “More consistent and disruptive than the stats show. Explosive and violent. Improved tremendously from the start of his career.”

A first-round pick in 2019, Gary has been good. He’s never been great, though. He’s still looking for his first 10-sack season–he might have had one in 2022 if not for tearing his ACL after recording six sacks in the first nine games. In his comeback season last year, he had nine sacks and 22 quarterback hits in 17 games (13 starts).

However, he has been more disruptive than the stats. Last year, according to PFF, 54 edge defenders had at least 350 pass-rushing opportunities. Gary ranked 11th in pass-rush win rate–ahead of T.J. Watt, Bradley Chubb, Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter and Maxx Crosby, who were 12th through 16th– and tied Hutchinson for eighth in pass-rush productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap.

Gary is a heart-and-soul type of player. He should be a great fit in the attacking new defensive scheme, but he’ll have to take his run defense up a level or two for the defense to thrive.

-Bill Huber, Packers On SI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.