The Chicago Bears have pulled off a massive deal before the NFL trade deadline to land star pass rusher Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders in exchange for a 2024 2nd-round pick, according to Adam Schefter.

This is the second straight year Bears GM Ryan Poles has traded a valuable second-round selection at the trade deadline. The Bears acquired WR Chase Claypool last year, who was subsequently traded to the Miami Dolphins earlier this season after he flamed out in Chicago.

Sweat, 27, has recorded 35.5 sacks in 67 career games with the Washington Commanders. He is set to enter free agency this offseason.

Who won the trade for Montez Sweat between the Commanders and Bears? Let's take a look at the deal from both sides.

The Bears made a surprising trade with the Commanders for DE Montez Sweat ahead of the NFL trade deadline.

Bears: Sweat is a badly needed talent worth paying up for

Trading for a player set to hit free agency when you have a 2-6 record and starting a backup rookie quarterback may look strange at first glance, but it seems highly unlikely that the Bears would trade a high 2nd-round pick without assurances that Sweat would agree to a deal to stay in Chicago for the long haul. With that in mind, using some of the $110 million in cap room Chicago has available on a consistently productive defensive lineman like Sweat makes a lot of sense moving forward.

It's hard to overstate just how badly the Bears needed an edge rusher. Chicago's three qualifying edge rushers have graded as the 95th, 103rd, and 106th best pass rushers out of 107 qualifying players, according to Pro Football Focus. The Bears are dead last in the league in sacks, and it's somehow worse than you could even imagine, as five of those sacks came against the Commanders and human sack magnet Sam Howell. In Chicago's seven other games, they've recorded just five total sacks. The Bears are pressuring the QB at historically low rates.

Sweat will certainly help, as he has 6.5 sacks already this season for the Commanders. He's consistently graded out right around a top-15 edge rusher in the league over the last four years, according to PFF, and he's been great against the run. The Bears are somewhat shockingly the league's stingiest run defense when it comes to yards per attempt this season, and Sweat is one of the league's best run defenders as well, so he fits Chicago's defensive philosophy and scheme.

At age 27, Sweat is in the prime of his career and should have multiple years of great football ahead of him. The Bears had to address this critical position during the offseason, and getting Sweat now should allow Chicago more flexibility in the draft and free agency.

Although Sweat comes at a high price, both in forfeited draft capital and cap space, Poles and the Bears can feel more freedom to take the best player available with their two first-round draft selections and feel comfortable knowing that Sweat will drastically improve the defense moving forward. This wasn't a position the Bears could afford to gamble with an unproven talent — Chicago needed a known entity, and they have that now in Sweat.

Grade: A-

Chase Young and Montez Sweat of the Commanders both looking serious

Commanders: Trading from a position of strength

The Commanders have invested a ton of money into their defensive line, with Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne both on the books for a combined $162 million moving forward. The Commanders could also still re-sign former No. 2 overall pick Chase Young, who is in the last year of his deal. Keeping Sweat and Young was never realistic financially, and it appears the Commanders may be siding with the high-end potential of Young over the solid production of Sweat.

Getting Chicago's 2nd round pick is about as good as it gets in terms of draft capital. Leonard Williams moving from the New York Giants to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2nd and a 5th set the market for a star defensive lineman, and the Commanders didn't hesitate to find a similar deal for Sweat. Chicago's pick should end up right near the very top of the 2nd-round, so the Commanders are getting an incredibly valuable asset moving forward.

Washington's defense needs serious help in the secondary more than they needed Sweat, despite all of his production. The high 2nd in next year's draft gives the Commanders a fighting chance to either address that need or take the best player available offensively. The jury is still out on whether Sam Howell is the guy moving forward, but getting him better protection up front is a huge priority as well. The Commanders have too many holes to invest all their cap space and assets into an already loaded defensive line — think of trading Sweat as diversifying the portfolio for Washington and setting up the future.

You could argue that the Commanders should have kept Sweat and dealt Young, but if neither were generating an offer of a first-round pick, this is a very solid deal that should help Washington address other more pressing areas of need.

Grade: B