What the Bears are getting in new LB Tremaine Edmunds
The Chicago Bears made a splash in NFL free agency in agreeing to terms with linebacker Tremaine Edmunds on a four-year, $72 million deal with $50 million guaranteed.
The Bears bolstered their linebacker group in a big way with Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, who figure to play WILL and MIKE linebacker, respectively.
Edmunds, who’s only 24, is everything Matt Eberflus is looking for in a WILL linebacker. He’s been a solid run defender and improved significantly in coverage last season with a 90 grade from Pro Football Focus.
We spoke to Nick Wojton of Bills Wire, who gave us the rundown on what we can expect from the Bears’ new linebacker and why he will be a good fit for Chicago.
What kind of player are the Bears getting in Tremaine Edmunds?
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Nick Wojton: The first thing many look to with Edmunds is his size and it’s for a reason. He has his shortcomings like all players do, but for a dude with his frame, he should not be able to get sideline-to-sideline the way he does. It’s really impressive and has even improved from college to the pros.
What's Edmunds’ biggest strength(s)?
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NW: Edmunds’ size going side-to-side is impressive, however, anyone with such size always seems to play well going downhill. Edmunds does that really well. Among the places he’s gotten a lot better at, and specifically in 2022, is his ability in coverage. Pro Football Focus handed him an 88.1 overall mark last season in that area. It’s a huge reason why he priced himself out of Buffalo’s range. Since he’s joining a new team, it’s worth mentioning the way Edmunds grabbed that bull by the horns with the Bills. In college, he never called plays despite his position, it was new for him in Buffalo and he never missed a beat there. From that point on, he went on to become a team captain and was the obvious general of a defense sporting likes of Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano. I’m sure western New York (ish) native Ryan Poles didn’t hate the leadership in Edmunds.
What's Edmunds’ biggest need(s) for improvement?
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NW: As referenced, Edmunds had a heck of year in 2022. He had the fifth-year option on his rookie deal picked up for last season but some really weren’t all that convinced it was a good idea by the Bills at the time. Flash forward to now and $72 million later, it looked obvious, but it wasn’t. Having said all that, years prior Edmunds had a few shortcomings. One area already referenced was coverage skills. Along with that, Edmunds would miss some ugly tackles in his day. A big reason for it was his over pursuit of the ball carrier, but to his credit, that’s night and day from his early years. Much better there.
What impact did Edmunds have on defense during his time with the Bills?
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NW: A huge one. Just about every NFL team has at least three linebackers starting. The Bills did not as Sean McDermott has always run a nickel-based unit with Edmunds, Milano, and slot cornerback Taron Johnson as a starter. Because it was just Edmunds and Milano, those two always had a huge amount of responsibility. Not only does Buffalo now have to figure out who takes over, the Bills thought they had their franchise quarterback and franchise QB of the defense for the next decade. Edmunds was a first-round pick the same year Josh Allen was. Now that leader and team staple is gone.
Why do you think Edmunds could be a good fit for the Bears?
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NW: If the Bears plan to play a true 4-3 defense, Edmunds having more help on the second level of a scheme can only be a good thing. He was never really tasked with getting to the quarterback, but everything else in his arsenal is good–and improving. It didn’t need to be mentioned any earlier than now because it’s the only thing that sticks out more than his size: Edmunds is only 24 upon signing in Chicago. He was 19 when the Bills drafted him. While the Bears paid a lot for him, teams should project forward, not in the past, on their free agent additions.. and are reasons to believe Edmunds is going to get even better in the Windy City.
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