Bears DE Montez Sweat practices in full, expected to return Sunday

Montez Sweat, the Bears’ star edge rusher, practiced in full Thursday for the first time since a cleat punctured his shin and is in line to play Sunday against the Patriots.

Sweat said the injury felt “much better” than it did Sunday, when he went through on-field workouts before general manager Ryan Poles and team trainers decided to make him inactive. Sweat, who was the first player to arrive at State Farm Stadium, wasn’t moving right.

“It was a contusion,” Sweat said. “It’s -basically just getting the swelling out, -getting the range of motion back in there.”

Sweat missed his first game since 2021 — and the Bears missed him. They gave up 213 rushing yards, their most since the last game of the 2022 season.

“We’ll be excited to have him back out there,” defensive coordinator Eric Washington said. “His influence, his leadership, his talent will make a difference for us.”