The Chicago Bears will be without edge rusher Montez Sweat for the next two games. The NFL suspended Sweat without pay for violating the league's performance-enhancing substances policy, the league announced on Tuesday. He will be eligible for reinstatement on Friday, Oct. 23.
Sweat is set to miss Sunday's road game against the Atlanta Falcons and the Week 7 "Thursday Night Football" clash with the New England Patriots. His first game back from suspension is the Monday night trip to Seattle on Nov. 2, when the Bears face the reigning Super Bowl-champion Seahawks.
Across the first five games of 2026, Sweat logged seven tackles and two sacks, the latter of which rank as the third-most on the team. It has been a relatively slow start for the pass rusher, whose 8.8% quarterback pressure rate is lower than any of his season-long marks from 2019-25. His time to sack of 7.18 seconds is also a career worst by nearly two full seconds.
Despite the modest five-game stretch, Sweat remains vital to the Bears' defensive front, which is relatively thin on the edge. Just last season, he led the team in sacks, tackles for loss and quarterback hits, and he paced the squad in sacks for the two years prior. He earned the first and only Pro Bowl selection of his career in 2023 when he opened the year with the Washington Commanders and closed it in Chicago.
Sweat's six turnovers caused by pressure in 2025 were a career best and ranked second in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats.
Bears' pass rush without Montez Sweat
Sweat has missed only one game since his arrival in Chicago three years ago. The Bears logged three sacks in that 2024 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but none of the players who recorded them remain on the roster. It will be primarily up to Dayo Odeyingbo and Austin Booker to step up during Sweat's suspension, and the former's status is in question after he left Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers with a quad injury. If Odeyingbo cannot play, James Lynch would be the next man up across from Booker.
Booker is the team leader in sacks, quarterback hits and tackles for loss thus far, and he is responsible for a forced fumble, as well. He did all of that despite coming off the bench in each of the five games, so perhaps the pass rush will not regress as he steps into a starting role. Odeyingbo, meanwhile, also ranks ahead of Sweat with three sacks.
The Chicago defense had a long day in Week 5 in its 31-7 rivalry loss, but excelled in Weeks 2-4, allowing a combined 28 points in three games. It may not have to shoulder as much of the load moving forward, as quarterback Caleb Williams is on track to potentially return from his hamstring strain on Sunday. The timing of Williams' return could not be more opportune, given Sweat's scheduled absence.
Here is how the Bears' schedule shapes up during and after Sweat's suspension:
- Week 6: at Falcons → Sweat suspended
- Week 7: vs. Patriots (Thursday) → Sweat suspended
- Week 8: at Seahawks (Monday) → Sweat eligible for reinstatement
- Week 9: vs. Buccaneers
- Week 10: BYE
