Ron Rivera’s quote on Montez Sweat’s projected workload will get fans pumped

The Washington Football Team is slowly but surely activating some reinforcements in time for Tuesday’s clash against the Philadelphia Eagles.

When it comes to the defensive line, which was almost unrecognizable in Week 14, Washington is suddenly inching closer to full strength.

Over the last couple days, the likes of Jonathan Allen, Montez Sweat, James Smith-Williams, Matt Ioannidis, Casey Toohill and Daniel Wise have all been activated off the COVID list ahead of the all-important game.

Suffice it to say that fans are thrilled to welcome all of those players back, but the return of Sweat offers the most intrigue. After all, he hasn’t played since Week 8, after which he was placed on injured reserve due to a non-displaced jaw fracture.

While fans are thrilled to welcome back all of those players, the return of Sweat offers the most intrigue. After all, he hasn’t played since Week 8, after which he was placed on IR due to a non-displaced jaw fracture.

Given Sweat’s extended layoff, reporters questioned whether he’d be given a full workload in his first game back. However, Ron Rivera quelled those concerns with one simple quote during his Saturday press conference.

Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera is expecting big things from Montez Sweat.

"“I mean, it was evident today in watching him move around that he kept himself in pretty good shape,” Rivera added. “He handled practice very well. He really did. So, it’s exciting to watch him run around and being Montez again. It’ll spill over to the guys around him; I believe, because he’s a high-energy, high-impact guy.”"

Sweat has taken some heat from fans over the last two weeks. The former first-round pick in 2019 was the first member of the roster to test positive, which preceded the breakout within the franchise, and his indifference, for lack of a better term, towards the vaccine hasn’t resonated with the fan base.

Like any off-field distraction, though, Sweat can erase all of it with a forceful showing over the remaining four games. It starts on Tuesday night against the Eagles, which has morphed into a must-win after San Francisco and New Orleans each picked up wins to keep pace in the NFC Wild Card race.

Before his injury and positive test, Sweat wasn’t setting the world on fire as far as sacks are concerned. However, he was extremely disruptive, amassing 25 pressures, eight QB hits, two forced fumbles, 10 run stops and 13 hurries.

Sweat’s pass-rushing prowess is undeniable, but his biggest impact — at least in terms of Tuesday night — will come against the run. There aren’t many better run defenders at the DE position than Sweat, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he owns a 81.6 run defense grade for the year from PFF.

Over the last five games, the Eagles have more rushing yards (1,027) than any team in the league. That includes the Colts and Jonathan Taylor, who feels like he’s rushed for 150 every week for the last two months.

It’ll obviously be up to the entire DL to stymie Philly’s rushing attack, but Sweat’s return could end up making the biggest difference. The fact he seemingly won’t be on a pitch count suggests he could be in for a big night.