The NFL has suspended Bears defensive end Montez Sweat for two games for violating the league's performance-enhancing substances policy, per reporting from ESPN and multiple outlets including Yahoo Sports and NFL Trade Rumors.

Sweat will miss games in Week 6 and Week 7 against the Falcons and Patriots, with the latter scheduled for Thursday night, per NFL Trade Rumors. The timing compounds an already difficult stretch for Chicago's defense. The Bears are 3–2 and coming off a 31–7 loss at Green Bay on Sunday, dropping them to fourth in the NFC North. Atlanta, which lost 30–23 to Baltimore on the same day, enters Week 6 at 2–3. New England is 3–2 and has won two straight, including a 45–17 rout of Las Vegas on Sunday.

Sweat was expected to anchor Chicago's pass rush this season. Through five games, he has recorded two sacks and eight total tackles—production that Sportsnet characterized as part of a rough year for an otherwise overachieving Bears defense to start the 2026 season.

The suspension leaves the Bears short on proven edge-rush talent at a moment when the team is fighting to stay competitive in its division. Chicago plays at Atlanta on Sunday, October 18, before facing New England four days later.