Nine months ago, defensive end Montez Sweat was a newcomer to the Bears defense, which had shown flashes of potential through the first half of the 2023 season. Sweat — traded to Chicago from Washington Oct. 31 — quickly elevated the unit's play, a phenomenon coach Matt Eberflus coined the "'Tez Effect."

Last year — a season in which he made NFL history by being the sack leader for two teams in one season en route to his first Pro Bowl — Sweat solidified himself as a staple for his new team both on the field and in the locker room.

With a full offseason in Chicago under his belt and his first Bears training camp now underway, Sweat is expecting more responsibilities and expectations. The star pass rusher is ready to embrace them.

"Yeah, that's natural," Sweat told reporters Saturday after the Bears' first training camp practice. "It comes with the territory. I take it all wholeheartedly. It's definitely a bigger role."

After jumping into a new defense midseason and learning on the fly, Sweat is relishing the opportunity to spend an entire training camp and preseason with the Bears.

"Oh, it's completely different," Sweat said. "We're starting from the ground, from Install 1, so instead of coming in with a playbook where everybody around me already knows what they're doing, I'm actually learning it with them, going through the process, and actually bringing some knowledge that I have from last year into this year."

Part of that process is developing a better understanding of his teammates' queues and tightening up on communication across the defensive line.

"I love moving across the line, doing stunts with my inside linemen, and it just gives me a chance to get the terminology right," Sweat said. "I was just talking to D-Walk ( DeMarcus Walker) today about just what's his signals that he might use on the field and that type of stuff instead of coming in when the ball's already rolling, and we can get some of these things done in the preseason and hit the ground running when Week 1 comes."

Sweat is already off to a smooth start. Eberflus noted Friday that the pass rusher "came back in great condition," something the head coach believes was the first step in Sweat taking his game to new heights in 2024.

"That's the No. 1 thing — he looks like he's in great shape," Eberflus said. "That's the first thing so that he can put more good reps together, stack those reps, be it eight, 10, whatever it needs to be, where we want him to go to.

Even without the continuity that Sweat now has with his teammates heading into his first full season in Chicago, the "'Tez Effect" was apparent in his nine games with the Bears in 2023. In those nine contests, the defense doubled its sack count — going from 10 to 20 — and improved from 23rd to 12th in yards allowed and a tie for 22nd to fifth in takeaways.

Sweat's presence was a boost to the entire locker room, but from the pass rusher's point of view, pieces were already in place prior to his arrival.

"When I got here, I felt the hungry group," Sweat said. "I felt a resilient, humble group. People that wasn't scared to sacrifice for the man beside them and wanted to play for the man beside him, so I think that's why we elevated as a group and plan on doing the same [this season]."

While Sweat gravitated immediately toward his new teammates and coaches last October – and vice versa – he now has the opportunity to strengthen those relationships, including with defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr.

During his rookie season, Dexter was one of many players who benefitted from the addition of Sweat, as all of his 2.5 sacks came in Weeks 14-17. The Florida product is looking to make a push for playing time at the 3-technique position after making noticeable improvements over the offseason. When players reported to camp Friday, Sweat took notice of Dexter’s summer work, especially after the second-year pro took his conditioning test with the defensive ends rather than the tackles.

"He definitely made a transformation in his body," Sweat said. "I mean I've always expected big things out of Gervon. He's just waiting to blow honestly."

Sweat is excited about playing alongside Dexter more frequently this season and sees a lot of potential in him.

"I mean it's helpful, especially a guy Gervon's size and actually a guy that moves with the type of ability that he can," Sweat said. "It's definitely a nice tool to have beside me."

While Sweat continues to gel with his teammates along the defensive line, he is also looking forward to building chemistry with the entire team. Like the rest of the defense, he is eager to put the pads on and create healthy competition to prepare the Bears for the 2024 season.

"Iron sharpens iron," Sweat said. "At the end of the day, we're all on the same team; we all got to go out Week 1 and beat Tennessee. We're all just working together to be the best that we could be in Week 1."