Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat has been suspended for two games without pay for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, the league announced on Tuesday (US time).
The 30-year-old will miss Sunday’s game at the Atlanta Falcons and the following Thursday night home game against the New England Patriots, according to ESPN. He is eligible for reinstatement on Friday 23 October, and could return when the Bears visit the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football in Week 8, ProFootballTalk reported.
The NFL did not disclose the substance involved or any further details of the violation, CBS Chicago reported. No statement from Sweat had been reported at the time of writing.
A blow to the Bears’ pass rush
Sweat has started all five of Chicago’s games this season and played 69 per cent of the team’s defensive snaps, recording two sacks, according to ProFootballTalk. He led the Bears with 10 sacks last season, ESPN said.
The suspension comes two days after fellow defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo left the first half of Chicago’s 31-7 loss at the Green Bay Packers with a quad injury and did not return. Bears coach Ben Johnson did not have an update on Odeyingbo on Monday, ESPN reported.
Read more: NFL Injury Report Week 6: Lamar, Penix and Key Names to Watch
Shemar Turner steps in
On Tuesday the Bears activated defensive end Shemar Turner off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, and he takes Sweat’s place on the 53-man roster. Turner, a 2025 second-round pick, was limited to five games as a rookie before tearing his ACL on 26 October 2025, and has been back at practice since 23 September.
Austin Booker, who has a team-high four sacks, now leads a thin group at defensive end. Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen warned last week against expecting too much, too soon from players returning off the PUP list.
“I think with any of these guys that are coming off the PUP list, to think that any of them would be ready to go in there and play 50, 60, 70 plays in a game, I think that would be unrealistic to think,” Allen said, per ESPN.
Sweat’s career so far
Drafted 26th overall by Washington in 2019, Sweat was traded to Chicago during the 2023 season, the year of his only Pro Bowl selection. Across 114 career games, all of them starts, he has 59 sacks and 15 forced fumbles, according to Field Level Media.
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