For a third consecutive season, the Bears linebackers will be led by veterans Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, who both joined the Bears in 2023 via free agency and have become an integral tandem on defense.
Edmunds enters his eighth NFL season, having spent his first five years with the Bills. Starting all 106 career games he’s appeared in, Edmunds has totaled 788 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 50 passes defensed, 10 interceptions and four forced fumbles.
A first-round selection in the 2018 draft, Edmunds has recorded 100+ tackles in each of his seven seasons and is the youngest player in NFL history to reach 100 career games played.
While Edmunds is an established piece in Chicago, he expects to experience some change with new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, but is eager to work with him.
“Obviously a guy that had success in the league over in New Orleans,” Edmunds said. “They had a lot of good years, good defenses … just his energy, man, and what he demands from his players, I think that’s the number one thing that sticks out. He holds the guys accountable. You can see that at an early stage. If we’re messing up on something, he’s got to call you out for it, but it’s a good call out, you know what I mean? It keeps everybody on their toes, keeps everybody responsible as far as getting that playbook and, like I said, man, just his energy on the field. You definitely feel that.”