Chicago Bears fans have spent plenty of time worrying about the defense, and for good reason. Last season, the unit was one of the NFL’s worst in yards allowed, and the passing game was a major problem. The run defense had its own issues too, thanks in part to injuries at linebacker and the constant shuffle of bodies trying to hold the spot together.
Even with all that uncertainty, there is at least one reason for optimism in the middle of the defense: T.J. Edwards.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently continued his league survey series, asking scouts, coaches and executives to name the best players at each position. Edwards didn’t crack the top 10 at linebacker, but he did receive votes and landed as an honorable mention.
That recognition fits with what Edwards showed before a hand injury cut into his season. He missed seven games, but still finished with 67 tackles, five pass deflections, three quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, one interception and half a sack. Pro Football Focus gave him a 72 overall grade, which placed him 24th among 88 eligible linebackers.
The Bears did have some offseason discussion about whether Edwards should remain part of the plan. He has been productive, but not quite at the level Chicago had hoped for when it brought him in. The team also moved on from his longtime running mate, Tremaine Edmunds, and replaced him with Devin Bush in free agency.
Now Edwards heads into a critical 2026 season with a lot riding on what comes next. If he can pick up where he left off at the start of last year, he has a strong chance to be back in Chicago next offseason. If not, he could end up following the same path as Edmunds.
Chicago has also added more youth to the position, drafting linebackers in each of the last two seasons in Ruben Hyppolite II and Keyshaun Elliott. The Bears have hopes that both can grow into bigger roles in Dennis Allen’s defense, though it’s still too early to know how that will play out.
For now, the linebacker group looks better than many fans expected. Edwards and Bush should form a solid tandem, while D’Marco Jackson projects as either a useful third starter or a strong rotational option after his breakout 2025 season.
The takeaway is simple: Edwards has already shown enough for the league to notice, and the Bears know the potential is there. What comes next will determine whether he keeps building that case in Chicago.
In Other News...
Bears Just Got A Budget Pass Rush Answer Fans Will Recognize
With the Bears still sorting through a pass rush that came up short a season ago, the front office has been leaning on what it already has in Montez Sweat, Austin Booker and Dayo Odeyingbo rather than chasing the top of the market. Financial reality has been part of the equation, which helped keep Chicago out of the Maxx Crosby sweepstakes and has pushed the conversation toward cheaper, more manageable ways to add help off the edge.
One name that has surfaced in that kind of discussion is Kansas City defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah, a young player on a rookie deal who has flashed enough athletic traits to draw interest even if the production has not fully followed yet. The appeal is obvious for a Bears team looking for a budget-minded swing, but any move in that lane would still have to make sense on both the cap sheet and the depth chart before it becomes more than just another idea floating around. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Keep Facing The Same Pass Rush Question In July
The Bears are still looking at ways to steady a pass rush that can never really be ignored, and one familiar veteran keeps coming up as a possible answer. The 33-year-old edge rusher most recently spent time with the Cowboys, and he remains unsigned in mid-July after a string of short-term deals since leaving Houston in 2020. For Chicago, the appeal is pretty straightforward: a proven body on the edge, some experience to lean on, and another option if the front office wants to keep adding insurance before camp.
Spotrac has pegged his market value around $5.7 million, a reminder that even a late-summer addition would not come cheap for a player who was on a $3.4 million deal not long ago. The bigger question for the Bears is whether they want him as more than just a depth piece, because the fit is less about splash and more about how much help they still believe this defense needs before the real work of the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Have More Than One 2026 Breakout Fans Need To Watch
The Bears conversation about 2026 breakouts does not stop with Luther Burden III, because there are a few other young players who already flashed enough to make the next step feel realistic. Jahdae Walker, DMarco Jackson, Austin Booker and Josh Blackwell all showed enough in different stretches of last season to land on the radar, and each one sits in a spot where opportunity could matter as much as talent once the new year arrives.
Walkers late-season work gave the offense a glimpse of what he can do when the ball finds him, while Jackson made his presence felt on defense and Bookers return from injury brought real edge-rushing juice back into the picture. Blackwell is a little different, since his path depends on how the secondary sorts itself out, but he is the kind of depth piece who can move from useful to important quickly if the Bears need him. [Read more 🡒]