Our countdown of the 25 most important Chicago Bears for 2024 is in the final turn. We are now at number three, where linebacker T.J. Edwards finds himself.
In just five days, the Chicago Bears have their rookies report for the start of training camp. Three days later, the veterans report. As the start inches closer, our countdown of the 25 most important players for 2024 nears its end. We are now down to number three. There, we have linebacker T.J. Edwards.
Edwards signed with the team last offseason and became a big part of the return of the physical Chicago Bears linebackers unit. General Manager Ryan Poles faced difficulty in re-signing star linebacker Roquan Smith. Smith was looking for a $100 million extension. That was too much for Poles so he traded Smith.
Instead of using that $100 million on one player, Poles used it to sign Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds. Even with signing two players, he still had plenty left to spend in other areas. He signed both players for a total of $91.5 million. Poles used his money effectively by interchanging one of the best linebackers for two of them.
Edwards was a big reason for the defensive turnaround. He was Poles’ first free agent signing last offseason. Poles’ faith in Edwards resulted in a season that included 155 total tackles (8 for loss), 2.5 sacks, 8 QB hits, 11 pressures, 3 interceptions, 7 pass defended,1 forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries. The total tackles ranked seventh in the NFL.
Just like the entire defense as a whole, Edwards had a slow start. Once he (as well as the rest of the defense) got into a rhythm he was a force for the Chicago Bears. When he wasn’t making the plays himself, his pressure and his presence set up big plays for his teammates. He had hits that produced a fumble and a couple of interceptions.
Edwards did a great job of tackling and making sure the ball carrier did not get away. His 91 tackles ranked eighth. When the ball carrier got to Edwards he usually got stopped dead in his track. A lot of those tackles resulted in preventing first downs and stopped drives.
Edwards and Edmunds complemented each other very well in 2023. Many people were surprised at how well they played together. Many teams were surprised as well. However, that will not be the case this season. Hopefully, they continue their stellar play.
Edwards is a local kid who hails from Lake Villa. Poles has made a priority of signing local players. In addition to his good play on the field, Edwards does great work in the community. He earned the team’s Brian Piccolo Award. According to the Chicago Bears website, the award is given to one rookie and one veteran who best exemplifies the courage, loyalty, teamwork, dedication, and sense of humor of the late Bears running back.
Edwards is ready to do it again in 2024. He is an example of an extremely successful undrafted rookie. He went from trying to make the Philadelphia Eagles to playing on their practice squad. From there he helped the Eagles make it to the Super Bowl. Now he is one of the best linebackers in the league.
Being undrafted, Edwards still plays with a chip on his shoulder. He probably should have made the Pro Bowl last season. Fred Warner made is despite Edwards having more combined tackles, solo tackles, tackles for loss, and quarterback hits. That likely happened because of him being undrafted. Those players are naturally looked at differently.
Pro Football Focus named Edwards the Chicago Bears’ secret superstar for 2024. This is what they said about him:
The Bears signed T.J. Edwards to a three-year contract in the offseason after an impressive stint with the Eagles, hoping that he could fill the void left by Roquan Smith. The linebacker responded with another excellent season, racking up 155 total tackles, totaling eight games with double-digit tackles.
Edwards was excellent across the board, finishing with an 80.2 overall PFF grade, the 10th-highest among all linebackers, as well as top-20 PFF grades in run defense and coverage. The Bears’ defense kicked on Montez Sweat‘s arrival, but Edwards has had a quiet hand in their success.
While T.J. Edwards’ play has been a secret so far, if the Chicago Bears defense reaches the elite level it expects to this season he will definitely receive more attention. With that, he will also receive more accolades. It would be perfectly okay with the fans if he remains Chicago’s best-kept secret.
Previous rankings: #25: Tory Taylor #24: Velus Jones #23: Jack Sanborn #22: Gerald Everett #21: Kyler Gordon #20: Cairo Santos #19: Kevin Byard #18: Nate Davis #17: Jaquan Brisker #16: Austin Booker #15:Tyrique Stevenson #14: Darnell Wright #13: Khalil Herbert #12: Tremaine Edmunds #11: ColeKmet #10: Gervon Dexter #9: Rome Odunze #8: Braxton Jones #7: D’Andre Swift #6: Keenan Allen #5: Montez Sweat
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