Montez Sweat: Bears defense more willing to work together than Commanders

Pro Bowl defensive end Montez Sweat is thrilled to be a long-term member of the Chicago Bears. But, he recently revealed one of the many reasons he prefers it to his old home, hinting at deeper problems within the Washington Commanders.

Speaking with Dan Pompei of The Athletic, Sweat said that during his time with the Commanders, teammates weren't as willing to "work together" for the greater good, unlike the unit he's a part of now.

"In Washington, everyone was kind of like the alpha male and they are great players, but it was hard for guys to make sacrifices for all of us to be of one accord," Sweat said. "In Chicago, we don't have that problem."

The Bears inked Sweat to a massive four-year contract extension, one his old team wouldn't give him. So, he has 98 million reasons to speak highly of his current employer, but with or without Dan Snyder, it's not as if the Commanders are a shining example of how to run a franchise adequately.

After dealing Sweat to Chicago, Washington also traded away fellow Pro Bowler defensive lineman Chase Young to the San Francisco 49ers. However, despite moving on from the pair at the deadline, Sweat (6.5) and Young (5.0) finished first and third on the Commanders in sacks.

The Commanders went 1-8 to end the year, leading to a giant overhaul during the offseason, including head coach Ron Rivera's firing. Yet, even with new faces leading the way, there are still concerns over the team's direction.

Washington's search for its next head coach saw several candidates for the job pass, leading the franchise to tinker with the idea of letting future Hall of Famer Bill Belichick steer the ship. Ultimately, they decided on re-tread and former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who led the Atlanta Falcons to an NFC Championship (2016) as head coach but had mixed results (43-42 record, 3-2 in the playoffs) over a six-year tenure.

Meanwhile, in January, the Commanders also made an unconventional move at general manager, bringing in Bob Myers, the architect of four championship-winning teams. Though, he built that impressive resume in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors, not in the NFL.

There's no way of knowing how the Commanders' rebuild strategy will play out. But, at the very least, Sweat let everyone in on one of the many issues they must iron out to be successful.