Peers hail the explosive edge rusher as a premier disruptor after a dominant season leading the league in pressure-caused turnovers and showcasing rare, elite combine speed.
The Chicago Bears have their first player on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026.
Bears defensive end Montez Sweat has been voted the 91st best player in the NFL by his peers. The NFL "X" account featured Sweat in a video on Friday morning. Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby was the first person in the clip to talk about Sweat.
Both competed at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine. In the video clip, Crosby said he felt good about his 4.66 40-yard dash time, but Sweat ran an even quicker time with his 4.41 40-yard dash, the fastest among all defensive lineman that year.
"Montez, he's a h--- of a player, man," Crosby said. "He's a 2019 guy, you know what I mean? I definitely pay attention to all the guys that come out of my class."
Sweat finished the 2025 season with 53 total tackles, 10 sacks, 48 total quarterback pressures, five passes defensed and three forced fumbles. He also led the entire NFL, all defensive positions included, with six turnovers caused by pressure.
Bears coach Ben Johnson liked what he saw from the 6-foot-6, 262-pound edge rusher last year.
"I loved him during the season, but when you watch the self-scout after the year, I think this was a guy that played at a very high level," Johnson said during minicamp. "I talked to him yesterday about it. I would argue it was the best year of his career. Whether that showed up statistically or not, that's debatable, but his ability to play the run and play the pass, I thought he did a really nice job. Hopefully it's something that we can piggyback on and carry that momentum into this year.”
Jaguars defensive end Arik Armstead and Ravens right tackle Roger Rosengarten were also featured in the social media video and both highlighted Sweat's size and
"He uses his long arm very well," Armstead said. "He plays like a mummy, which is a good thing because his arms are always out and guys never can get on his body."
Against the Ravens last season, Sweat finished with a season-high seven total tackles, one sack and a forced fumble in the Week 8 matchup.
"He's a smart player," Rosengarten said. "I think he ran down one of our boots this year. ... Those are the qualities you want in a defensive lineman, and, you know, I think he's got it."
Sweat also made the NFL Top 100 list in 2024, ranking No. 82 for his 2023 season. That year Sweat finished with 57 total tackles, 12.5 sacks, 25 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles and four passes defensed.
