Montez Sweat is on the active/non-football illness list as of Tuesday, the first day of training camp physicals at Halas Hall. But nobody in the Bears organization is hitting the panic button. General manager Ryan Poles shrugged off any concern and said the team expects their star defensive end back within a few days.
This is a minor procedural move. Happens all the time at the start of camp. Sweat isn’t dealing with anything serious, and the Bears aren’t about to risk their most important defensive player for something that sounds more like a bug than a broken bone.
But here’s the thing. This defense goes as Sweat goes. He was a wrecking ball last season — 53 tackles, 10 sacks, 18 quarterback hits, and three forced fumbles across all 17 games. Chicago traded a second-round pick to Washington for him in 2023, then turned around and handed him a four-year, $98 million extension. He’s carrying a $20.9 million base salary this season. That’s not backup money. That’s cornerstone money.
Meanwhile, Elijah Hicks hits the PUP list
Safety Elijah Hicks was placed on the physically unable to perform list the same day after reporting shin discomfort when he showed up for camp. Poles addressed that one directly with reporters.
“Elijah Hicks had some discomfort in his shin. We got that taken care of. That’s going to take a little bit of time, but he’s on the mend. He’s walking around. We don’t see that as anything major,” Poles said.
Hicks has been with the Bears for four seasons now, mostly contributing on special teams. He’s not a game-changer, but he’s a reliable depth piece. And right now, the Bears need all the healthy bodies they can get.
He’s the sixth Chicago player added to either the NFI or PUP list in recent days. Linebacker T.J. Edwards, cornerback Kyler Gordon, offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo, and linebackers Noah Sewell and Keyshaun Elliott are all sidelined with various injuries as camp kicks off. That’s a lot of names. But most of these are minor nicks and camp maintenance moves. Teams tend to be cautious early in July and August.
The Bears are coming off their first NFC North title since 2018. They’ve got real expectations for the first time in years. Sweat is the engine of that defense, the guy who makes everyone else’s job easier. Losing him for any real stretch would be a problem. But this doesn’t look like that.
Training camp practices start Wednesday. Two guys will be sitting out the early sessions. By next week, nobody will remember this happened.
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