Falcons Offered Commanders Second-Round Pick For DE Montez Sweat
Montez Sweat‘s status has changed a few times since the Halloween trade deadline. The 2019 first-round pick has gone from contract-year Commanders pass rusher to a Bears rental to a player now locked in long term with his new team. Sweat signed a four-year, $98MM extension prior to suiting up for the Bears.
Coming into deadline day, the Commanders held at least two offers for Sweat. The other known proposal came from the Falcons, who had sweetened their proposal by that point. Atlanta initially offered a third-rounder for Sweat, and CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones indicates that deal included conditions that would have bumped the compensation to a second. However, Jones adds the Falcons then dropped the conditional component and offered the Commanders a straight second for Sweat.
A Georgia native with family in the Atlanta area, Sweat is believed to have initially preferred to be dealt to the Falcons. It appears, however, the Bears’ struggles under Matt Eberflus have once again benefited them in a trade. The Packers were also believed to have offered the Steelers a second-round pick for Chase Claypool last year, but Pittsburgh preferred the Chicago offer due to what turned out to be a correct expectation the pick would end up higher in the 2023 draft. Chicago’s second-round draft slot checked in at No. 32, Green Bay’s at 45. The Bears came into this year’s deadline at 2-6, with the Falcons residing at 4-4.
GM Ryan Poles‘ unusual penchant for making buyer’s trades in a seller’s position has now netted the team two pieces over the past two years. While the Claypool move backfired to the point the Bears needed to give him away in a pick swap involving 2025 late-round choices — via an October deal with the Dolphins — the team is far more bullish on Sweat, who is now the NFL’s fifth-highest-paid edge defender.
As was the case with what turned out to be an unappealing 2023 receiver market, Jones adds the Bears were not high on the 2024 edge rusher pool. The Packers drained it further to start last week, extending Rashan Gary. While Green Bay would have enjoyed the opportunity to tag Gary next year, the Bears’ NFC North rivals provided a bit of clarity on the ’24 edge market just before the deadline. That deal helped shape Sweat’s, with the Bears giving their trade acquisition a higher AAV ($24.5MM) compared to Gary ($24MM).
Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith are on track for free agency in 2024, but the 2022 Vikings starters are not exactly long-term building blocks at this stage. Chase Young would qualify as such, though the 49ers now hold exclusive negotiating rights with the former Defensive Rookie of the Year until the 2024 tampering period. Josh Uche (Patriots) and Jonathan Greenard (Texans) qualify as edges who will command interesting markets, and while the Bears will have a need opposite Sweat, they opted to take their big swing early.
The Falcons do not have a foundation in place on the edge just yet. Bud Dupree is tied to a one-year, $3MM contract, with rotational rusher Lorenzo Carter re-signing on a two-year, $9MM pact this offseason. Second-year player Arnold Ebiketie leads the team, along with D-lineman David Onyemata, with 3.5 sacks. The Falcons’ 19 as a team ranks outside the top 20. Though, the Bears have been in worse shape. Chicago’s 10 sacks are five worse than the 31st-place team this season. They will bank on Sweat changing their pass-rushing course.
Latest On Bears QB Justin Fields
Tyson Bagent will be under center for the Bears once again in Week 10. Coach Matt Eberflus told reporters that the rookie QB will earn a fourth-straight start while the team continues to await Justin Fields‘ return, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.
Fields continue to recover from a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand. While he was listed as doubtful on the latest injury report, Eberflus told reporters that the QB won’t play against the Panthers tomorrow night. Fields still hasn’t been cleared by Chicago’s medical staff, so his return is partly dependent on him passing all the necessary tests. The former first-round pick returned to practice on a limited basis last week.
“He’s getting better, though,” Eberflus said. “Accuracy’s improving. He’s throwing it better. And he’s starting to do more and more and more. So, we’ll see where it goes. Right now, we’re listing him as doubtful. And we’ll see where it goes from there.”
As Cronin notes, the Bears will have 10 days between Thursday’s game and their Week 11 matchup against the Lions. Fields hasn’t seen the field since Chicago’s Week 6 loss to the Vikings.
Bagent, an undrafted rookie out of Shepherd, won his first start, completing 72.4 percent of his passes for 162 yards and one touchdown. He’s lost each of his past two games, however, tossing five interceptions over that span. While the Bears don’t have a shot at the playoffs, the offense should get a spark when Fields returns to the lineup.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/8/23
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: OT David Sharpe
Chicago Bears
- Waived: DB Duron Harmon, DB Greg Stroman Jr.
Cincinnati Bengals
- Designated for return from IR: WR Charlie Jones
Houston Texans
- Signed off Saints practice squad: LB Cory Littleton
Minnesota Vikings
Seattle Seahawks
- Designate for return from IR: WR Dareke Young
Cory Littleton is back in Houston. The linebacker already got into six games with the Texans this season, mostly playing on special teams. After getting cut in late October, he caught on with the Saints practice squad and quickly earned a promotion on Sunday. This time around, Littleton should be sticking in Houston, at least temporarily. The Texans are required to keep the LB on their active roster for at least three weeks.
The veteran had a productive stint with the Rams to begin his career. He spent four years in Los Angeles, including a two-year stint between 2018 and 2019 where he averaged 129 tackles per season.
Poll: Who Fared Best At Trade Deadline
A week removed from this year’s trade deadline, every team will soon have its acquired talent in uniform. The 49ers, Lions and Jaguars made trades while in bye weeks; Chase Young, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Ezra Cleveland will suit up for their new teams soon.
On this note, it is time to gauge the position every notable buyer and seller landed in following the deals. This year’s deadline featured two second-round picks being moved, though the teams that made those moves (Chicago, Seattle) have different timelines in place.
We have to start with the Commanders, who scrapped their yearslong Young-Montez Sweat partnership by making the surprise decision to move both defensive ends hours before the deadline. Although the team was listening to offers on both, it was widely assumed they would only part with one, thus saving a contract offer or a 2024 franchise tag for the other alongside well-paid D-tackles Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen. New owner Josh Harris looks to have made his bigger-picture plan clear, however, pressing upon the Commanders’ football-ops department to explore moving both.
Washington collected a second-rounder that likely will land in the 30s in exchange for Sweat, who was in a contract year at the time. It only obtained a compensatory third for Young, who drew interest from other teams (including the Ravens). For the first time in the common draft era, Washington holds five picks in the first three rounds. It cannot be assumed Ron Rivera and GM Martin Mayhew will be making those picks, but Harris has effectively forced his hot-seat staffers to make do this season without Young and Sweat, who have combined for 11.5 sacks this year.
The initial team to pounce on the Commanders’ sale made a buyer’s move despite being in a seller’s position for the second straight year. After trading what became the No. 32 overall pick for Chase Claypool, GM Ryan Poles signed off on the Sweat pickup. The Bears have struggled to rush the passer under Matt Eberflus, having traded Khalil Mack in March 2022 and Robert Quinn last October. While acquiring a veteran in a contract year injects risk into the equation, Poles had the franchise tag at his disposal. But the Bears made good use of their newfound negotiating rights with Sweat, extending him on a four-year, $98MM pact. Despite no Pro Bowls or double-digit sack seasons, Sweat is now the NFL’s fifth-highest-paid edge rusher. Though, the Bears’ long-term edge outlook appears rosier compared to its pre-Halloween view.
Mayhew, Robert Saleh and Mike McDaniel have provided third-round compensatory picks for the 49ers, who have been the NFL’s chief beneficiary of the Rooney Rule tweak that awards third-round picks to teams who see minority coaches or execs become HCs or GMs. The team has more picks coming after the Ran Carthon and DeMeco Ryans hires. Using one to acquire Young seems like a low-risk move, given the former Defensive Rookie of the Year’s talent. Young has made strides toward recapturing the form he showed before his severe 2021 knee injury, and he is on pace for a career high in sacks.
The 49ers, who won last year’s trade deadline by landing Christian McCaffrey, will deploy Young alongside ex-college teammate Nick Bosa and the rest of their high-priced D-line contingent. The team will have a decision to make on Young soon; the free agent-to-be is not eyeing in-season extension talks, either. San Francisco could at least be in position to nab a midround compensatory pick, should Young leave in 2024.
The Young move came a day after the Seahawks obtained Leonard Williams from the Giants. That move cost Seattle second- and fifth-round picks. Williams is also in a contract year, but with the Giants picking up most of the tab, Seattle has the veteran D-tackle on its cap sheet at $647K. The former Jets top-10 pick has shown consistent ability to provide inside pressure, and the USC alum’s best work came in his previous contract year (2020). Gunning for another big payday, Williams joins Dre’Mont Jones in what is probably the best interior D-line duo of the Seahawks’ Pete Carroll era.
Seattle still surrendered a second-round pick for a player who could be a rental. Williams cannot realistically be franchise-tagged in 2024, with the Giants tagging him in 2020 and ’21, and he is not yet on Seattle’s extension radar. The Giants have already paid Dexter Lawrence and were planning on letting Williams walk. They passed on a comp pick for the trade haul, effectively buying a second-round pick in the way the Broncos did in the 2021 Von Miller trade. The Giants, who suddenly could be in the market for a 2024 QB addition, now have an additional second-rounder at their disposal.
While they made their move a week before the deadline, the Eagles landed the most accomplished player of this year’s in-season trade crop. Kevin Byard is a two-time first-team All-Pro safety, and although he is in his age-30 season, the former third-round pick is signed through 2024. The Eagles sent the Titans fifth- and sixth-round picks (and Terrell Edmunds) for Byard, a Philadelphia native, marking the team’s second splash trade for a safety in two years. Philly’s C.J. Gardner-Johnson swap turned out well, and Byard not being a pure rental could make this a better move.
Rather than turning to a fifth-round rookie, the Vikings acquired Josh Dobbs in a pick swap involving sixth- and/or seventh-rounders and saw the move translate to a surprising Week 9 win. Dobbs following in Baker Mayfield‘s footsteps as a trade acquisition-turned-immediate starter also made him the rare QB to see extensive action for two teams in two weeks; Mayfield was inactive in his final game as a Panther. The well-traveled Dobbs could give the Vikings a better chance to stay afloat in the NFC playoff race.
The Lions (Peoples-Jones), Jaguars (Cleveland) and Bills (Rasul Douglas) also made buyer’s moves at the deadline. The Bills gave the Packers a third-round pick, collecting a fifth in the pick-swap deal, for Douglas. They will hope the Green Bay starter can help stabilize their cornerback corps after Tre’Davious White‘s second major injury.
Who ended up faring the best at this year’s deadline? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts on this year’s moves in the comments section.
WR Darnell Mooney Eyeing Bears Extension
The Bears took care of one major financial priority recently by working out an extension with trade acquisition Montez Sweat. The team also has a new deal to negotiate with cornerback Jaylon Johnson, but decisions of that nature need to be made on the offensive side of the ball as well. 
Receiver Darnell Mooney is playing out the final year of his rookie contract, and he entered the 2023 campaign needing to deliver a healthy and productive season to return to his 2021 form. His 81-catch, 1,055-yard season that year showed his potential as a long-term contributor to the Bears’ passing attack, but he has been unable to replicate that success since. An ankle injury cost Mooney the final five games of the 2022 season, though he was healthy in time for the start of 2023.
The 26-year-old changed agents ahead of this campaign, one in which D.J. Moore has unsurprisingly served as the focal point of Chicago’s passing attack. The former Panther leads the Bears with 735 receiving yards, and Mooney sits third on the team (second amongst wideouts) with 307. The latter eclipsed 50 receiving yards in a game for the third time in Week 9, but an uptick in production in the second half will likely be needed to boost his free agent stock. With contract talks looming, the former fifth-rounder recently spoke about his situation.
“Everything’s up in the air,” Mooney said, via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “Whatever happens it happens… eventually somebody is going to pay. Whether it’s here or wherever you go, somebody is going to take care of you… Extensions [are] a good thing. Obviously I would love to be here. I love Chicago. I love the fans. I love just being here. I mean, we’ve got everything in here. Facility-wise we have one of the nicest facilities ever so I would definitely love to be here but like I said you just can’t worry about it. Somebody is going to pay eventually.”
Aside from Moore and tight end Cole Kmet – who signed a four-year, $50MM extension this summer – the Bears do not have much certainty in their pass-catching corps beyond this season. Retaining Mooney would help in that regard, particularly if the Tulane product’s desire to remain in the Windy City holds true. Chicago is projected to have considerable cap space once again this offseason, though, along with a pair of projected top-five draft picks. The team could thus move in a different direction if an agreement with Mooney cannot be reached in the coming months.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/6/23
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed off waivers (from Bears): OL Doug Kramer
- Waived: WR Andre Baccellia
New York Jets
- Promoted: OL Xavier Newman-Johnson, WR Malik Taylor
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated off IR: RB Anthony McFarland
- Placed on IR: LB Cole Holcomb (story)
San Francisco 49ers
- Designated to return from IR: DL Robert Beal Jr., CB Samuel Womack
- Designated to return from PUP: CB Darrell Luter
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from PUP: DT Austin Faoliu
- Placed on IR: LB Drake Thomas
Bears QB Justin Fields Returns To Practice
NOVEMBER 5: Bagent will indeed get another start when the Bears visit the Saints today, but Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (video link) says Chicago is hopeful that Fields will be able to suit up for its Week 10 matchup against the Panthers. However, since that game is a Thursday night contest and will take place just four days from now, Fields — who still has “issues” with his hand — will need to make a fair amount of progress in a short amount of time.
NOVEMBER 3: The Bears have had to perform the past two weeks without the presence of third-year quarterback Justin Fields. While Fields has been dealing with a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand, Chicago has gone 1-1 riding the arm of undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent. Though Bagent may still be the team’s starter this week in New Orleans, the team has moved one step closer to Fields’ return after seeing him come back to practice today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. 
Fields originally sustained the injury in a Week 6 loss to the Vikings. The injury affected his grip on the ball, effectively removing his ability to pass the football. There were early concerns that surgery may be necessary, which had the potential to completely change the aspect of the team’s season.
Fortunately, Fields was able to avoid surgery and a stint on injured reserve, with head coach Matt Eberflus describing his quarterback’s status as “week to week” as swelling reduced and grip strength and mobility in the hand improved. Still, the injury was hampering the 24-year-old enough to hold him out of a second straight start last week, when the team lost to the Chargers with Bagent under center.
The injury came at a terribly inconvenient time for Fields. After spending the first two years of his career as a bit of a developmental project, much of the Bears’ aspirations this year hinged on Fields taking the next step towards becoming an effective starter. Through the first three weeks of this season, fans were beginning to worry that they may be subject to a third year of what they had seen in the prior two seasons from Field: inconsistent and turnover prone play while showing flashes of what made him a first-round pick in 2021.
Then, in back-to-back starts, Fields delivered two of the best performances of his young NFL career, completing 67 percent of his passes for 617 yards, eight touchdowns, and one interception over the two-game stretch. There had been performances in 2022 that displayed his impressive rushing abilities, but this was the first demonstration of Fields taking his passing game to the next level. That demonstration was put on hold due to the dislocated thumb, but Chicago hopes that its starter will be able to return soon and continue that successful progress.
In the meantime, if one practice isn’t enough for Fields to comfortably return to the field, the Bears are likely to start Bagent once again down in New Orleans. A graduate of Division II program Shepherd University, Bagent had won the Harlon Hill Trophy, often considered Division II’s version of the Heisman Trophy, back in 2021. He beat out incumbent backup Nathan Peterman for the backup quarterback job with strong performances in training camp and the preseason.
In his first career start, Bagent impressed with his composed game management in the team’s comfortable win over the Raiders, not needing to do much behind strong performances from the Bears’ defense and running backs. In Los Angeles last week, more was asked of Bagent as his defense and running game didn’t hold up nearly as well. The increased pressure amounted to less effectiveness and more turnovers against one of the NFL’s more porous defenses.
If it is Bagent that faces the Saints, he’ll be facing a group that has effectively shut down lesser opponents’ offenses so far this season, ranking 12th in points allowed and 8th in passing defense. Fields is likely returning to practice too close to the road contest to make a start this week, so expect Bagent to try to earn his second win as an NFL starter this week in the Big Easy.
Bears To Sign Montez Sweat To Extension
After being acquired by the Bears at the trade deadline, Montez Sweat will be sticking around Chicago. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the edge rusher has agreed to a four-year extension worth $98MM in new money. Including this season, the deal is worth a total of $105MM.
[RELATED: Bears Working On Montez Sweat Extension]
The contract includes close to $73MM in guaranteed money, according to Rapoport. With a $24.5MM average annual value, Sweat should now rank fifth among pass rushers in yearly money.
That’s certainly a lot of money for a player with zero Pro Bowl appearances, zero All-Pro nods, and zero 10-sack seasons on his resume. However, Sweat should be on his way to accomplishing most (if not all) of those feats this season. In his eight starts with the Commanders, the 27-year-old collected 6.5 sacks to go along with 32 tackles, 11 QB hits, and a pair of forced fumbles.
Pro Football Focus has Sweat ranked 28th among 107 qualifying edge rushers, although the site gives him a top-three grade at the position for his run defense. Further, the site ranked him as a top-10 edge rusher in 2022, with Sweat finishing that campaign with 8.5 sacks, 28 QB hits, and 14 tackles for loss. The former first-round pick is just finishing his rookie contract, and while he doesn’t have the track record of some of the league’s other top-paid pass rushers, the Bears are clearly banking on his upside.
The Bears sent a second-round pick to Washington for the edge rusher at the trade deadline. The front office certainly raised some eyebrows with the move; the second-round pick should come early considering Chicago’s 2-6 record, and Sweat was set to hit free agency following the 2023 campaign. The Bears made is abundantly clear that they intended to re-sign the impending free agent, although Sweat was noncommittal after joining the team.
“I think all that goes into play from financial to the people around me to the players in the building, all that type of stuff like that,” Sweat said earlier this week. “I just got here. I’m still trying to figure out where I’m going to lay my head at tonight.”
Chicago ultimately didn’t take long to get the deal done. The trade and extension isn’t unlike last year when the Dolphins traded for Bradley Chubb hours before the trade deadline. Two days later, they finished out extension talks.
Of course, considering the draft capital they gave up, the Bears were prepared to use the franchise tag on Sweat if the two sides couldn’t agree to a new deal. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes, the Bears can now use that tag on someone like cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who wasn’t dealt at the deadline despite a public trade request.
Chicago, which traded Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn last year, has rolled out one of the worst pass-rushing units in the NFL over the past two campaigns. They’ll now be counting on Sweat to be guiding that grouping for the foreseeable future.
Multiple Teams Contacted Panthers About Brian Burns Trade
Two major trades involving edge rushers took place this week, but Brian Burns was not moved. That comes as little surprise given the Panthers’ stance leading up to the deadline, but it was not for a lack of interest shown from numerous suitors. 
At least five teams were known to be in on Burns, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The list includes both the Bears and 49ers, the clubs which landed high-profile acquisitions in deals with the Commanders. Chicago added (and has since extended) Montez Sweat, while San Francisco bolstered its already impressive defensive line by bringing in Chase Young. With Burns joining that pair as one of the top prizes available amongst edge rushers, both the Bears and 49ers represent logical suitors for the Panthers to have held talks with on a potential deal.
Interest was also shown by the Jaguars, Falcons and Ravens, Schefter adds. Jacksonville was named as a team to watch on the edge front, with a recent report indicating they nearly finalized an offseason deal for Vikings sack artist Danielle Hunter. Despite leading the league in sacks, Baltimore engaged in trade talks about Young, so it comes as no surprise the team also kicked the tires on a potential Burns swap. Atlanta, meanwhile, made a number of changes on defense this offseason, but added production on the edge would have been welcomed (although an intra-divisional trade involving a player at such a premium position in his prime would have no doubt been difficult to pull off).
Of course, the Panthers are no strangers to receiving strong interest in a Burns acquisition. The Rams submitted an offer including two first-round picks last year, and the Bears attempted to include the two-time Pro Bowler in the trade involving the draft’s No. 1 pick. In both instances, Carolina held firm in its commitment to keeping Burns, something which remained in place this year as well.
The 25-year-old has been highly productive during his time with the Panthers, including five sacks in seven games this season. That has helped his market value on a new contract, something which is not close to being worked out. Burns acknowledged before the deadline that talks on an extension are not ongoing, and it remains to be seen when they will resume. A gap in annual value exists between Burns’ camp and the team on what will, in any event, be a massive raise for the Florida State product .
With the franchise tag (projected to check in at $17.4MM if he is classified as a linebacker, or $20.4MM as a defensive end) looming in case no long-term deal is reached, Burns will be counted on as the anchor of Carolina’s edge rush group to close out the season. That is especially true with Justin Houston joining Yetur Gross-Matos on injured reserve. With Carolina still planning to keep Burns in place for the foreseeable future, it will be interesting to see how his situation unfolds in the coming months.
Bears Activate LT Braxton Jones Off IR
More help is on the way for the Bears’ offensive line as a senior writer for the team, Larry Mayer, reports that Chicago has activated second-year offensive tackle Braxton Jones from injured reserve. After activating starting guard Teven Jenkins a month ago, the left side should continue to improve with the return of last year’s starting left tackle.
Jones became a Week 1 starter as a rookie last season despite making the jump to the NFL from Division I-FCS school Southern Utah. The fifth-round pick adjusted well, starting all 17 games and performing admirably. His sophomore season had a rockier start, though, as a Week 2 neck injury prompted the Bears to exercise excess caution and place him on IR.
In his place, Chicago has returned to a formerly displaced starter in Larry Borom, but through six starts in relief, Borom has consistently ranked in the bottom ten of qualifying NFL tackles in rankings provided by Pro Football Focus. The team took Tennessee rookie Darnell Wright in the first round of this year’s draft but placed him at right tackle, showing their confidence in Jones as their blindside blocker moving forward.
Even now, with Jenkins and Jones finally reuniting with the first-team unit, the Bears’ offensive line is still a bit banged up as starting right guard Nate Davis has already been declared out for the third straight week. Lucas Patrick, who has started in Davis’ place to past two games, will likely hear his name called to play with the starters once again.
In order to make room for Jones on the active roster, the Bears waived fellow 2022 draftee Doug Kramer, who was drafted a round after Jones last year. Kramer spent his entire rookie season on IR and then spent the first six weeks of this season on IR before being activate for Week 7. After only playing two snaps, Kramer sees his way off the roster. If he clears waivers, Chicago may choose to bring him back on the practice squad.
Speaking of the practice squad, the Bears also made the decision to promote linebacker Micah Baskerville from the practice squad as a standard gameday elevation for tomorrow. If he sees the field, it will be the undrafted LSU rookie’s NFL debut.