These days, the Chicago Bears can't seem to get credit for their moves, and their 2023 trade deadline move for Washington Commanders DE Montez Sweat added to the criticism.
ESPN reporter Seth Walder was among several pundits who called out the Bears for their mishandling of draft picks. Bears fans will recall trading a second-round pick for Chase Claypool and how that turned out, and Walder is essentially saying the Bears did it again by acquiring Sweat.
Additionally, as if right on cue, former NFL GM Michael Lombardi felt the need to jump in on the conversation and offer his view on the matter. Not exactly glowing.
ESPN analyst, former GM criticize Bears for Montez Sweat trade
For all the talk of wasting draft capital, did Walder and Lombardi forget that the Bears have two potentially high first-round picks they own (theirs and the Carolina Panthers) for the 2024 draft?
In the case of the Bears, there is a lot to question about this franchise. Not willing to pay a very young Jaylon Johnson at a premium position like CB? Maybe the price might be too high, but you can't get rid of every good player. Moreover, why did the Bears not invest heavily in the defensive line in the offseason instead of making a desperate trade before the trade deadline? That's fair criticism.
Sweat, though he might not be a Maxx Crosby or Myles Garrett (who were never near the trade block), has been productive and is in the final year of his contract. Yes, the Bears could've just gotten him in free agency and gotten much less flack -- but they also risk him signing elsewhere and not having the first proverbial dibs on him by signing an extension.
The Bears aren't going to change. They may never get back to the respected roots of the NFL because of incompetence, and it's not from the outside, it's from within.
