***LAKE FOREST, Ill.,***— One of the biggest tasks for the Chicago Bears when evaluating the roster over the next few weeks will be figuring out what the future of some highly priced veterans on defense will be. A unit that dealt with injuries throughout the 2025 season, one of the defense's most consistent contributors ended up being eighth-year linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who now heads into the final year of a four-year deal signed during the first wave of free agency in 2023.
For the Bears, figuring out what to do with Edmunds will be an important question. He'll play his ninth NFL season and be just 28 years old. Since signing with the Bears in 2023, he's missed seven games, including four due to injury in 2025. Edmunds has been one of the faces of the Bears defense throughout the Ryan Poles era and while he's under contract for 2026, a major question the front office will need to answer is whether or not Edmunds is a fit in Dennis Allen's defense based on his play in 2025.
Despite being placed on injured reserve in the middle of the season, the former first-round pick still found a way to be productive, totaling 112 tackles, four interceptions, nine pass breakups, one sack, three tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits.
His production from 2025 is more than enough of a reason to bring him back. But after spending two years playing Mike linebacker, Allen's scheme saw Edmunds change positions, playing SAM linebacker instead, while foregoing responsibilities of being the primary communicator with the entire defense.
The Final Verdict
Edmunds cap hit for 2026 is set to be $17.43M and he'll account for just 5.6% of the Bears cap, per Over The Cap. But with the Bears looking to free up some money to spend on other areas of the roster, moving on from Edmunds creates $15M in cap space and just $2.43M in dead money.
Deciding Edmunds future with the franchise will reveal a lot about the direction the Bears choose to pursue when rebuilding the defense in 2026. Retaining Edmunds will be another way of saying that the coaching staff was more than pleased with his play last season and that they view him as being a fit in Allen's defense, setting the stage for what could be a very big 2026 season.
But moving on from Edmunds means that the Bears are willing to fully rebuild the defense and that upgrading linebacker is a priority because the coaching staff wants to find players who can bring more speed to the table and serve as true off ball linebackers.
With so many needs on defense, including defensive line, cornerback, and safety, the Bears could decide that keeping Edmunds and letting him play out the final year of his deal is the best direction for the franchise to take. In other words, there is no need to create another need for a unit that already has a plethora of needs. Doing so provides the franchise with a chance to bring back a productive player while allowing the front office and coaching staff to start looking ahead to 2027 and scout potential replacements.
Not a VIP subscriber to the Bear Report? Sign up now to get access to everything publisher Zack Pearson and the entire Bear Report team have to offer on all things Chicago Bears and access to the No. 1 site covering the team!