Chicago Bears starting linebacker Tremaine Edmunds might have two years left on his $72 million contract, but at least one analyst believes he is entering a “make-or-break” season in 2025 after the team’s offseason coaching changes.
Edmunds has been a good linebacker for the Bears defense over the past two seasons, tallying 223 tackles and five interceptions in 32 starts and serving as a team captain, but he has not returned to his previous Pro Bowl-level like the team likely hoped he would.
The Bears had signed him and fellow veteran T.J. Edwards in 2023 free agency as a sort of combo-package replacement for All-Pro Roquan Smith, whom they traded away at the 2022 NFL trade deadline after struggling to reach an agreement in contract talks. The tandem has struggled to fill Smith’s void, though, partly because of Edmunds’ play.
Now, Edmunds is heading into a season that could define the remainder of his career with a new defensive coaching staff in place in Chicago. Windy City Gridiron’s Jacob Infante is even calling it a “make-or-break year” for the 27-year-old, acknowledging that the team releasing him in 2026 would become a “foregone conclusion” if he falls short.
“Inconsistencies in coverage, limited pass-rushing value and lackluster processing are all major issues for a player entering his eighth year in the NFL,” Infante wrote. “The Bears would save $15 million by releasing him next offseason, which feels like a foregone conclusion unless he somehow bounces back to his Pro Bowl-caliber play.”
Bears Will Test Tremaine Edmunds at Outside Spots
The Bears are not simply looking for Edmunds to raise the quality of his game in 2025. New defensive coordinator Dennis Allen also plans to teach him multiple positions as he evaluates whether he or the veteran Edwards fits better as his middle linebacker.
“I mean, look, he’s [Edwards] going to get snaps there [at middle linebacker] and, you know, Tremaine is going to get snaps on the outside and we’ll evaluate it and see how it goes and figure out what’s best for the Bears defense,” Allen told reporters on April 17. “And that’s what we’ll do.”
The Bears primarily played Edmunds at middle linebacker and Edwards at weak-side linebacker during their two seasons working under former head coach Matt Eberflus, but Allen will do things differently despite keeping their 4-3 base defense in place.
Allen could ask the middle linebacker to rush the passer more frequently in his scheme than they did for Eberflus, which is something Edwards has found more success doing than Edmunds over their respective careers. Edmunds has just 7.5 career sacks in seven seasons, while Edwards has put up 6.5 sacks in his last two seasons alone in Chicago.
Perhaps a new defensive leader will help Edmunds further unlock that area of his game, but it is another question for him as he prepares for the 2025 season with the Bears.
Bears Planning LB Competition During Training Camp
Allen and his defensive coaches will put Edmunds and Edwards to the test during OTAs and training camp to ensure they have the right guys in the right spots, but part of that process will also include an open competition for the strongside role that sits vacant.
The Bears did not tender former strongside linebacker Jack Sanborn as a restricted free agent ahead of the 2025 league year, allowing him to walk to sign a new contract with the Dallas Cowboys, who had hired Eberflus as their defensive coordinator in January.
Since then, the Bears have added fourth-round rookie Ruben Hyppolite II to the room to give them more depth, but it remains unclear who will emerge as the strongside option among him, 2023 fifth-rounder Noah Sewell and veteran Amen Ogbongbemiga.
The Bears could also add another veteran linebacker to the mix if they get to the other side of OTAs and veteran minicamp in June and feel they need more experience at the position to help support Edmunds and Edwards. While they may prefer to make the most of their fourth-round investment in Hyppolite, they are also in a win-now mode.
If none of the trio looks ready to play the strongside, the Bears will look elsewhere.
