NFL Trade Rumors: Commanders Deal DE Montez Sweat for Picks?

Montez Sweat could be traded because of the Washington Commanders' surplus on the defensive line.

What the Washington Commanders decide to do at defensive end is one of the team’s bigger storylines during the offseason.

Montez Sweat is playing on his fifth-year option in 2023, while Washington is still deciding if they want to pick up former No. 2 pick Chase Young’s option. With a lot of money already invested in Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen, the Commanders likely can’t afford to keep Young and Sweat.

In Bleacher Report’s article on hypothetical trades Washington can make, they had Washington trading Sweat to the Chicago Bears for the No. 53 and 148 overall picks.

“If the Commanders are willing to part with Sweat, they could acquire numerous picks for this year's draft,” Bleacher Report writes. “And the Bears, who have a ton of draft capital, could be a great trade partner, considering they need to upgrade their defensive line.”

The Bears are armed with multiple draft picks after trading the No.1 pick with the Carolina Panthers for the No. 9 and No. 61 overall picks in the 2023 draft, 2024 first-round pick, 2025 second-round pick and wide receiver DJ Moore.

Washington would also have the No. 47 pick in the second round.

Sweat had eight sacks and a career-high 14 tackles for loss and 28 quarterback hits in 2022. Young has only played in 12 games over the last two seasons due to a torn ACL suffered on Nov. 14, 2021. In that span, he only has 1.5 sacks, three tackles for a loss and 31 total tackles.

While Young was the higher pick, Sweat’s production will likely garner more in a trade.

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