LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Montez Sweat entered the NFL as a highly-touted player from Mississippi State, someone worthy of a first-round pick and the expectations that come with it. Now he’s a seasoned vet with a track record of success and a massive paycheck.

That means his role has evolved some, especially within a relatively young group of defensive ends on this Bears roster. He appreciated having four-time Pro Bowler Ryan Kerrigan show him the ropes in Washington, so he’s willing to pay it forward with the young pass rushers looking to raise their game in Chicago.

Sweat likes playing that role, which is relatively new to him.

“Yeah, I really do,” Sweat said in a Tuesday press conference. “I’ve reiterated it a lot — my guy was RK (Ryan Kerrigan). I look forward to being that vessel for those guys and just showing them how things should be done and, any way I can help them, I’m definitely there (for them).”

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While veteran DeMarcus Walker should start opposite Sweat, getting help from third-year pro Dominique Robinson and 2024 fifth-round pick Austin Booker would help the pass rush overall. If Sweat can instill insight to get them going, it helps everyone up front.

There has also been talk of the Bears bringing in another pass rusher – that hasn’t materialized to this point, but there will be massive league-wide roster movement next week – though Sweat likes the guys currently on the roster.

“Yeah, that’s a little past my pay grade,” Sweat said about bringing in another body. “A roster can always be updated and all those types of things, but I’m very comfortable with the guys that we have in the room.”

Adding another quality pass rusher would take some pressure off Sweat, though it won’t eliminate the double teams and added attention for an elite defensive end.

“That’s just a part of the league as a pass rusher, dealing with double teams, slides, chips and stuff like that,” Sweat said. “I’ve been dealing with it since I was in Washington. You need to have a pass-rush plan and fight through it.”

Caleb won’t play K.C.

What was obvious is now official. Caleb Williams won’t play Thursday’s preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. Most Bears starters and key players won’t either, head coach Matt Eberflus said in a Tuesday press conference.

That was expected, especially after Bears regulars played the first half on Saturday against the Bengals and a Wednesday practice appeared on the schedule. Eberflus didn’t have a full list of guys who would watch Thursday’s game from the sidelines, but it’s hard to imagine members of the first unit playing at all, though some could see a few snaps, max.

“We feel really good about our process and the plan that we had,” Eberflus said before practice. “We had a range of plays for certain players and plenty of competitive reps in joint practices and one-on-ones. We’re going to get after it pretty good again today.”

As you’ll read below, they surely did.

Bears get physical

Not sure if you’ll see it Tuesday night or not, but at some point the Hard Knocks crew will show you footage of an afternoon camp scuffle where things got tense between the offense and defense.

It started when defensive lineman Gervon Dexter hit running back Ian Wheeler hard and with full contact in this padded, two-hour session. The offensive line defended their guy, and shoving ensued.

Then, on the next play, Velus Jones got hit hard and then knocked down by two Bears linebackers and things got heated, with some intense contact between sides.

Order was restored after that, but the Bears practice was physical overall and sometimes things get testy at this point in camp, which is why what happened Tuesday shouldn’t point to a deeper conflict.  

More post-practice thoughts

Tuesday’s practice marked the final session in front of fans, and they got a good show. The two-hour session was spirited, physical and intense, with quality play on both sides of the ball.

WR Keenan Allen was awesome for a second straight day, routinely using shiftiness to get open for several mid-range completions. He was particularly effective even against No. 1 CB Jaylon Johnson, with two receptions for chunk yardage. The veteran wideout doesn’t look slow at all, as some have suggested, and had a quality showing a day after he caught three red-zone touchdowns. … WR Tyler Scott also made some nice catches and WR Rome Odunze was effective on an end around, which should be an effective weapon in Shane Waldron’s scheme this season. … The Bears defense routinely pressured QB Caleb Williams and forced some errant throws. … The most entertaining moment came late in practice when TE Gerald Everett jumped up (kind of awkwardly) and caught a fourth-and-goal pass that was called a touchdown. Some Bears defensive coaches argued the call, but they looked at a replay on the Hard Knocks camera and the TD was confirmed. … DB Kevin Byard III missed his second straight practice on Tuesday, but Eberflus said he’s “good” while working through a soft-tissue injury.

Follow Bears Insider Scott Bair on X @ScottBairNFL.