LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The first Bears’ move before the trade deadline is an addition to their defense.

On Tuesday, the team acquired defensive end Montez Sweat from the Commanders in exchange for a 2024 second round pick.

“Montez is a huge addition to our team,” said general manager Ryan Poles in a statement from the Bears. “He is not is not only a great player but a great person. We expect him to help elevate our defense.”

A first round pick of Washington in 2019, Sweat has shown his ability to get to the quarterback with 35 1/2 sacks in 67 career games with the Commanders over five seasons. So far in 2023, he’s had 6 1/2 sacks along with ten tackles for loss in eight games.

Establishing a consistent pass rush has been an issue for the Bears over the last two seasons, something the team hopes Sweat can improve when he arrives in Chicago.

Sweat arrives in Chicago on the final year of his contract, with the hope being that general manager Ryan Poles will be able to retain the defensive end in free agency with plenty of cap room to work with.

He did have to give up the Bears’ only selection that he currently has in the second round to get him.

This marks the second-straight year that the Bears have made an addition to their roster before the trade deadline, but are hoping for better success this time around. In 2022, Poles traded the team’s second round pick to the Steelers in exchange for Chase Claypool.

He didn’t even make it a full season as he was traded to the Dolphins after four games in the 2023 season.