The Chicago Bears have used the offseason to find ways to tweak this roster, which has ripple effects throughout the rest of the team. While other players like Dayo Odeyingbo should be looking over their shoulder with the draft approaching, linebacker T.J. Edwards is in a sticky spot this offseason.
The Bears swapped Tremaine Edmunds for Devin Bush at linebacker in free agency. They also brought back D'Marco Jackson to rejoin Noah Sewell and Ruben Hyppolite II in the LB room. There will be a lot of competition there, and that should have Edwards a little worried the next few months, especially with how his 2025 season went.
T.J. Edwards Heads into Crucial Offseason with Bears
Edwards has been in the Windy City for the last three seasons, but last year was the first time that he missed time. During the regular season, he missed seven games with a hand and hamstring injuries. The missed time played a role in his season ending on a sour note, as Edwards suffered a fractured fibula in his left leg in the wild-card game against the Packers.
Edwards' recovery timeline was set for four to six months, putting the start of the offseason at a halt. There's a chance that he's ready for the start of the season, but he'll likely be limited throughout training camp to ramp him up. While he should be ready to have his normal role in 2026, he needs to have a better year than he did in 2025.
Following the 2026 season, Edwards will have one year left on his deal at $10.8 million, per Spotrac. If the Bears wanted to release him next offseason, they would save $8.5 million. Chicago showed this year that they aren't afraid to move on from a linebacker who had some struggles on the field and missed time due to injuries in Edmunds.
If Edwards doesn't have the quality of the impact that he's had in the past, then there's a good chance that Chicago moves on. They just paid Bush handsomely to take Edmunds' spot. They also have hope that Sewell and Hyppolite can take a leap next season, which would make it easier to part ways with Edwards.
It's important to note that during his time with the Bears, Edwards was a productive player. Over 44 games, he had 351 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four fumble recoveries, and five interceptions. On Pro Football Focus, he's logged at least 60.0 overall and run-defense grades in all three seasons. Between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, he also finished with 125-plus total tackles.
There's no hiding that Edwards has found success with the Bears, but if he doesn't continue that in 2026, the team could look to move on from him next year and save money in the process.
The pressure is on for Edwards to produce if he wants a future with the team.