Tremaine Edmunds!? Bears Score Pro Bowl Linebacker

A few weeks ago I stated that if one player fit head coach Matt Eberflus, it was Buffalo Bills linebacker, Tremaine Edmunds. He's big, long, fast, and athletic. The Pro Bowler wasn't likely to stay in Buffalo. That opened the window for the Chicago Bears to go after them if they wished. That seemed unlikely after they signed T.J. Edwards to a new deal. Then lightning struck. Edmunds is coming to Chicago on a $72 million deal over four years. He is only 24 years old too. This is a massive signing.

Edmunds went to the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2020 for Buffalo. He's been just as good in the two seasons since. He has never had fewer than 100 tackles in a season and might be at his best in coverage with four interceptions and a whopping 35 passes defended. His ability to cover so much ground despite being 6'5 and 250 lbs is astounding. He drew comparisons to Brian Urlacher coming out of college and was a tremendous part of a great Bills defense over the past few years.

Tremaine Edmunds solidifies the Bears' linebacking corps.

He, Edwards, and Jack Sanborn are likely to make up the starting trio. That is an exciting group. The only unknown is where each will play. All three have played middle linebacker. So it will be a challenge for Eberflus and his coaching staff to figure out where Edmunds fits best. His Pro Bowl seasons came at middle linebacker, so one would presume that's where they envision him. Edwards and Sanborn can handle the outside spots. Either way, this group suddenly got younger and faster.

The next step for Poles is getting better players in front of Tremaine Edmunds. Their defensive line still needs a lot of work. All four spots could stand to be upgraded. It's a safe assumption the Bears will remain active on the defensive tackle market. Dre'Mont Jones and Zach Allen are still up for grabs. If not, they could turn to a solid 2023 draft class for solutions. The defense is coming together. They have a secondary and now a linebacking corps. Only one step left.