Pro Football Focus recently released their 2025 NFL linebacker unit rankings.
Chicago Bears' linebackers ranked fourteenth of thirty-two teams.
"The Bears will be hoping for a bounce-back campaign from their two highly paid veteran linebackers. Tremaine Edmunds hasn’t been able to reach the heights of his outstanding 2022, when he earned an 81.9 PFF overall grade. In two seasons with Chicago, Edmunds has posted a below-average 57.5 PFF overall grade.
T.J. Edwards played very well in 2023 but notched a career-worst 60.7 PFF overall grade last season. New defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will need to extract better production out of the pair, considering the lack of experience behind them."
The Bears' linebacker room is now seen as the third-best unit in the NFC North. PFF ranked linebackers from the Lions second, the Vikings tenth, and Green Bay eighteenth in this year's rankings.
This is a far cry from just a year ago, when PFF ranked the Bears linebackers third in the NFL and first among NFC North teams.
Last year's ranking was heavily based on two factors:
- Belief that LB T.J. Edwards would sustain the high production from his outstanding 2023 season. His team-leading 91 solo and 155 combined tackles ─ along with three interceptions, two and a half sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery ─ was just shy of Second Team All-Pro levels two seasons ago.
- Residual hope by PFF that LB Tremaine Edmunds would improve upon his underwhelming first year with the Bears and play in line with his breakout 2022 production in Buffalo.
Neither of those things happened during 2024's disappointing season. While the eleven-place drop is hard to swallow for a franchise that prides itself on its long, storied history of superior linebacker play, PFF's ranking is fair.
- Edmunds has not lived up to the high expectations set by his $18 million AAV salary, which makes him the fifth-highest paid Bears player.
- The fall-off from Edwards to his career-worst PFF rating was also surprising, especially in coverage, where too often he appeared to have lost a half-step.
- Neither player looked like the Top 10 coverage linebackers they both were when the Bears signed them.
However, it's important to note that quality of linebacker play is greatly affected by defensive line performance. The defensive line drop-off in production from the loss of DT Andrew Billings to injury in Week 8 and a banged-up DE Montez Sweat playing through injuries made the back seven's job much more challenging.
That's why Ryan Poles felt comfortable in giving T.J. Edwards a two-year, $20M extension in April. PFF still rates Edwards as the tenth best linebacker in the NFL. Extending him on a smart, team-friendly deal given his 2023 performance and knowing 2024 was more of an anomaly made sense.
Can DC Dennis Allen bring the best out of Bears linebackers again?
There's no question that both Edmunds and Edwards are talented. Both have shown many times their great anticipation and superior skills on the field. Both have gained respect from putting up impressive, personal-best seasons within the last three years.
What they haven't done is both do it consistently, in Chicago, and at the same time.
Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has a great opportunity to unlock them both in 2025. Here are four reasons why I have optimism that he can accomplish this.
1. Allen's aggressive, relentless pressure-focused scheme is welcome news for Bears linebackers. It may be the best news of all for Edmunds, who in Eberflus' scheme was deployed like a giant centerfield passing deterrent. This more passive approach too often found him out of position or too deep on the play to be made. Allen's defense should allow him more freedom to make a bigger impact.
2. Allen weighed in on the defensive line investments best suited to execute his scheme. Poles signed veteran free agent DE Dayo Odeyingbo to pair with DE Montez Sweat. He also strengthened the interior defensive line by adding veteran free agent DT Grady Jarrett and high-motor, second-round pick DT Shemar Turner. The increased pressure and sacks generated by the upgraded defensive line will lead to worse execution and more mistakes by the offense, which in turn creates more opportunities for linebackers to make a great play.
3. Allen identified and addressed speed as a weakness in the unit. That's why Poles drafted fourth-round pick LB Ruben Hyppolite II, who ran the fastest 40 time among rookie linebackers. While Hyppolite needs development, his ability to both rapidly process reads and thrust toward the ball quickly is a strength the Bears didn't have last season. Assuming he can earn the third linebacker spot over LBs Noah Sewell and Amen Ogbongbemiga, that will make a big difference when the Bears are in their base defense.
4. Allen made a savvy hire in new Bears linebacker coach Richard Smith. Smith will draw on his forty-seven years of experience to help unleash and elevate the entire room as they implement Allen's vision for the defense.
Let's hope that all goes according to plan and next year at this time, PFF will again rate the Bears' linebackers as a top-five unit.
