Chicago Bears make minor Montez Sweat injury move

The Chicago Bears opened training camp with a couple of roster maintenance moves, though neither is expected to keep the team’s top pass rusher out for long. Chicago placed defensive end Montez Sweat on the active/non-football illness list Tuesday, the first day of training camp physicals at Halas Hall.

General manager Ryan Poles did not sound concerned about the move, and the team expects Sweat back within the next few days.

Safety Elijah Hicks, on the other hand, was placed on the physically unable to perform list on the same day after reporting shin discomfort upon arriving for camp. Poles addressed his situation 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.

The Bears cannot afford much of an absence from Sweat, who enters the season as arguably the most important piece of Chicago’s defense.

He posted a career-high 53 tackles last season, including 10 sacks, 18 quarterback hits, and three forced fumbles across all 17 games. Chicago acquired Sweat from Washington in 2023 in exchange for a second-round pick, then signed him to a four-year, $98 million extension that carries a base salary of $20.9 million this season.

Hicks, meanwhile, returned to the Bears this offseason after spending four seasons with the team, primarily contributing on special teams. He becomes the sixth player added to the NFI or PUP list in recent days, joining linebacker T.J. Edwards, cornerback Kyler Gordon, offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo, and linebackers Noah Sewell and Keyshaun Elliott, all sidelined by various injuries as camp gets underway.

Neither move figures to be a long-term concern for a Bears team coming off its first NFC North title since 2018. With training camp practices set to begin Wednesday, Chicago will simply be without two depth pieces for the early sessions as both work their way back to full health.