LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Montez Sweat has been creating havoc during this Bears training camp. Relentless pressure, especially since the pads came on, has come off the defense’s left edge.

He has a number of quarterback sacks that have been called, and a greater sum that would’ve occurred in a real game but weren’t acknowledged in practice.

The veteran defensive end’s presence has been felt by those around him a lot.

Fellow defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo sees it on tape and in the meeting rooms, where Sweat’s free sharing pass-rush moves. Right tackle Darnell Wright has to go up against Sweat each practice and knows how hard it is to slow him down out wide.

Both guys spoke to the media on Monday about Sweat’s impact this summer, which the Bears need to transfer to regular-season dominance from their highest-paid player.

This is Odeyingbo’s first year working with Sweat after signing a three-year, $48 million contract in March. He’s experiencing an uptick in Sweat’s leadership ability, which was a point of emphasis starting last year.

He has worked to keep the defensive line bonded with meeting-room work and extracurricular activities. The fifth-year veteran has felt that in camp, and how available Sweat is to help others with their pass rush.

“It’s been great, just being able to learn from him and also like talk through my game and his game and compare things and talk about goals for this year, et cetera,” Odeyingbo said in his press conference. “So, it’s been great being able to work with him and being next to him and the rest of the guys on the D-line.”

Sweat has been tough to work against this season. Just ask Wright, a former first-round pick and a solid pass blocker who has gone back and forth with Sweat in camp.

“I’d say the biggest thing, just because the type of player he is, his length,” Wright said. “Obviously he’s a good player but his length is really something that’s kind of hard to navigate a little bit.”

Sweat’s certainly looking for better production following a down year where he was banged up. He had 5.5 sacks in 2024, less than he produced in the nine games after the Bears traded for him the season prior.

His pressure percentage was still high, within the NFL’s top 20, but he wasn’t getting home enough. Sweat has Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett and a fortified line to help him out in 2024, which should help. So should sky-high motivation to be the game-changing edge rusher he has been in the past.

“He was very disappointed with how the season went last year as a lot of the guys in the locker room were both individually and as a team,” head coach Ben Johnson said on July 26. “And felt such a way, so compelled, that he was here throughout the springtime, which is not something that he’s done in the past. He’s committed to this team. He’s committed to getting better. And so I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve seen from him so far.”

Submit your questions below for inclusion in the next Bears mailbag!!