View attachment 27276 Bears sign LB Tremaine Edmunds (4 years, $72 million; $50 million guaranteed): B- Grade
It's remarkable how quickly things can change. The Bears had one of the worst linebacking corps in the NFL entering today. Yet, in a span of about four hours, Chicago can now say it has one of the best linebacker tandems in the NFL.
We'll have to see if that comes to fruition. I don't have doubts about T.J. Edwards. Tremaine Edmunds, on the other hand, was awful to start his career before enjoying a terrific 2022 season. It remains to be seen if he can continue his high level of play, but there's no doubt that the 25-year-old Edmunds has huge upside. This signing certainly comes with a high level of risk, which is why I've given the move a B-, but it could certainly pay off if Edmunds continues to develop.
View attachment 27277 Bears sign LB T.J. Edwards (3 years, $19.5 million; $12 million guaranteed): A+ Grade
The first signing during the 2023 free agency period is a slam dunk. When I saw that the Bears immediately agreed to terms with T.J. Edwards, I was concerned that they highly overpaid. That is definitely not the case.
This is a great price for Edwards, who has quietly become one of the top off-ball linebackers in the NFL. Edwards will be a huge, yet cheap upgrade to a position vacated by the trade of Roquan Smith. Linebacker was already a need with Smith on the roster, so this is just the beginning of the defensive rebuilding process for the Bears.
