Welcome to the 2026 Chicago Bears Season Preview on Bears By 7, a player-by-player look at the team's roster and their chances.

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You and I have opinions about the Bears defensive line in 2025.

I’m sure Montez Sweat also had opinions about the Bears defensive line in 2025.

The only difference is that Sweat kept his opinions to himself and turned in a taking-care-of-business performance that stood out on an underperforming unit. Sweat finished the regular season with 10 sacks — his first double-digit effort in a Bears uniform — and added 13 TFLs, three forced fumbles and a team-high 54 pressures.

Sweat was the one consistent presence on an inconsistent defense. And while some Bears fans might have overlooked what he brought to the table, his performance didn’t elude Bears coach Ben Johnson.

“I would argue it was the best year of his career,” Johnson said earlier this year. “Whether that showed up statistically or not, that's debatable, but his ability to play the run and play the pass, I thought he did a really nice job.”

Sweat’s 2025 also didn’t escape the attention of his fellow players as he earned the 91st spot on the NFL’s ranking of the league’s top 100 players.

Most of the ambivalence that Sweat gets from Bears fans has to do with money. He’s entering the third year of his four-year, $98 million extension and carrying a $25 million cap hit.