The Chicago Bears have seen several players from last year's team walk in free agency. Some departures will be a loss for this team, but that likely won't be the case after linebacker Tremaine Edmunds chose to take his talents from the Windy City to the Big Apple.
Edmunds spent three seasons with the Bears, but his tenure in Chicago was a bit of a rollercoaster, to say the least. And last season, it looks like things hit the fan. After failing to find a trade partner, the Bears released Edmunds and pivoted to sign linebacker Devin Bush.
Edmunds joined the New York Giants on a three-year, $36 million deal, but for the Bears' sake, they are happy he's no longer around. And they should immediately see the benefits from making this change.
Bears Will See Positives from Letting Tremaine Edmunds Walk in FA
One thing that Edmunds was able to do during his time with the Bears was find his way to the football. He finished his tenure in Chicago with 335 total tackles and 11 TFLs, racking up 100-plus tackles in all three campaigns. But where he had the most trouble was in pass coverage. And his advanced metrics from Pro Football Focus paint a clear picture of the difficulties he faced.
Season | Coverage Grade | Yards Allowed | Touchdowns Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 58.3 (59th among 83 graded LBs) | 611 | 5 |
2024 | 56.3 (48th among 83 graded LBs) | 540 | 0 |
2025 | 52.1 (49th among 88 graded LBs) | 530 | 4 |
To make matters worse, the Virginia Tech product allowed a 75 percent or higher completion percentage in each season. Teams consistently looked for No. 49 in coverage and attacked him with success. With the pass defense being an area the Bears need to improve (23rd in pass defense, 227.2 pass yards allowed), his exit should only help Chicago. Especially with how effective Bush was in pass coverage last season.
Season | Coverage Grade | Yards Allowed | Touchdowns Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
2025 | 80.4 (4th among 88 graded LBs) | 247 | 1 |
While Bush will be an upgrade as a pass defender, he can also be a stout run defender. Over the last two seasons, Bush has finished with a run defense grade of 86 or higher on PFF, ranking 8th-best among all linebackers in that department.
That's without mentioning that Bush is getting $10 million per year, compared to Edmunds, who was going to have a $17.9 million cap hit in 2026. The Bears saved money by moving on from Edmunds, and they also improved at the position. The NFL is all about getting better whenever given the chance, and Chicago did just that.
This is just one of the moves the Bears decided to make on the defensive side of the ball, and it will likely work in their favor. Finding an upgrade for less money is almost always a win. Chicago played their cards right in this swap and should see the benefits when the Bears take the field in 2026.