A brutal Sunday for the Bears has bled into an even worse week.
Defensive end Montez Sweat, who is the Bears’ highest-paid player this season, was suspended two games by the NFL on Tuesday for violating its performance-enhancing drug policy. He will miss Sunday’s game in Atlanta and the Bears’ “Thursday Night Football” home game against the Patriots before being reinstated Oct. 23. Those games carry extra importance for a Bears team that, despite being 3-2, sits at the bottom of the NFC North.
The two-game suspension is in line with the penalty for a first-time offender who tests positive for a stimulant, diuretic or masking agent.
It will cost Sweat two game checks, or about $2.3 million — in addition to the credibility of player and team alike.
Sweat’s absence in a blow for the Bears in the wake of their 31-7 shellacking at the hands of the rival Packers on Sunday Lambeau Field. It’s also a dent in the culture established by general manager Ryan Poles, who traded for Sweat three years ago, and second-year head coach Ben Johnson. The culture, and Johnson’s sheer force of personality, was often credited for the Bears’ success last season, when they won the NFC North and their first playoff game in 15 years.
Sweat had a team-high 10 sacks last season in what Johnson believed was the best season of the defensive end’s career. He has two sacks and seven tackles this season. His absence, though, is crushing for a position group that is considered the most shallow on the team. Poles and Johnson did not draft, sign or trade for significant help at the position last offseason despite speaking openly about their need to improve their pass rush in Year 2 under coordinator Dennis Allen.
The defensive end position has thinned out in recent days, too. One week ago, veteran Marcus Davenport abruptly retired one day after making his Bears debut, playing 12 snaps against the Jets. The former first-round pick had been on the team’s practice squad, but the Bears were optimistic he’d be able to contribute off their bench. Sunday, defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo — who had one sack per game over the previous three — left the loss to the Packers with a quad injury.
Defensive end Austin Booker sacked Packers quarterback Jordan Love twice, both near the end of the first half, and led his position by playing 72% of the Bears’ snaps. James Lynch, who is considered a solid run defender, started and played 27 snaps Sunday. He can play either tackle or end.
The Bears will get a boost at the position this week. They activated Shemar Turner, their former second-round pick, from the physically-unable-to-perform list. He’s recovered from a torn ACL suffered in Week 8 last year.
Poles traded a second-round pick to the Commanders for Sweat three years ago and days later gave him a four-year, $98 million contract extension. He is the team’s highest-paid player this season, posting a $25.08 million salary cap. He is due a $2 million roster bonus on the fifth league day of next year, which gives the Bears a deadline to decide whether or not they want to bring him back for the last year of his contract. He has a dead cap charge of only about $4 million next year, and the Bears don’t owe him any further guaranteed money.
The NFL’s PED policy is agreed upon by the NFLPA and the NFL Management Council. All players are given a urine test at least once per league year. Each week during the preseason, regular season and postseason, 10 players on each team — from the active roster, practice squad and reserve list combined — are selected randomly by an independent administrator and tested. Players may be tested up to six times during the offseason.