Commanders’ Former First Round Pick Goes Missing on Hail Mary TD

Getty Washington Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat.

The Chicago Bears made a lot of mistakes in a Week 8 loss to the Washington Commanders, and when it comes to a play like the one that ended the game — a thrilling, 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels to Noah Brown — there’s always going to be plenty to pick apart.

Thanks to cornerback Tyrique Stevenson’s antics, few have focused on anything outside of his actions on the Hail Mary — an infamous moment that will live on in the annals of NFL history.

What hasn’t been talked about very much? Bears defensive end and former Commanders first-round pick Montez Sweat not even being on the field for the final play and effectively robbing the Bears of their best pass rusher.

Sweat had 4 tackles with 1.0 sack and 2 TFL against the Commanders, but left the game at one point with a shin injury, although nothing has been reported to show the severity of the injury was to the point he couldn’t have been on the field for the final play.

The Bears employed a 3-man rush on the final play — something ESPN analyst and former NFL defensive end Marcus Spears took them to task for after the game and singled out Sweat for not being on the field.

“The 3-man rush, that’s a big part of my issue with (the final play),” Spears said. ” … the other thing is this, too, which is the elephant in the room for me … where the hell is Montez Sweat? Like, I know you get tired in these situations, but your best pass rusher on the sideline? With a quarterback that’s holding the ball for 12 seconds in order to (throw) the ball down the field?”

“… it was malpractice by the coaches. Please, for the love of God, have your best pass rusher on the field for the last play of the game.”

Sweat Said Commanders ‘Gave Up’ on Him

The parting between Sweat and the Commanders was anything but amicable leading up to the team trading him to Chicago in exchange for a 2024 second round draft pick midway through the 2023 season.

Sweat told The Athletic’s Dan Pompei that when he first heard he was being traded, it felt like a slap in the face from the team that drafted him No. 26 overall out of Mississippi State in the 2019 NFL draft.

“I was shocked,” Sweat told Pompei. “In disbelief … I was very emotional. I was angry and probably said some things I wanted to take back. Maybe. It felt like somebody kind of gave up on you, like you aren’t good enough anymore.”

Following the trade, Sweat quickly realized how much his new team valued him when they signed him to a 4-year, $98 million contract extension with $72 million in guaranteed money.

Sweat had 12.5 sacks in 2023 and ended up leading both the Commanders and Bears in sacks while also making his first Pro Bowl.

Commanders Spun Sweat Trade Into More Picks

The Commanders took the second round pick (No. 40 overall) they received from the Bears for Sweat and packaged it with their 2024 third round pick (No. 78 overall) and fifth round pick (No. 152 overall) in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles that got the Commanders two second-round picks (No. 50 and No. 53 overall) and a fifth-round pick (No. 161 overall).

Washington used the two second-round picks on Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil (No. 50 overall), who has become a starter as a rookie, and Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott (No. 53 overall).