Top 25 most important Bears in 2023: No. 5 Tremaine Edmunds

Shaw Local is counting down the top 25 most important Bears for the 2023 season.

What makes one player more important than another? That’s subjective, of course. But for our purposes it comes down to this: Are the Bears worse off if this player can’t play? Does this player have untapped potential or past greatness to live up to? Is his story going to be one fans follow closely this season?

The best player on the team isn’t always the most important, but he certainly can be. We will announce one player every day between now and the start of training camp.

No. 5 Tremaine Edmunds

Position: Linebacker

NFL experience: Sixth season

Last year’s ranking: N/A

Looking back: After the Bears traded away linebacker Roquan Smith at the trade deadline last season, they had one of the worst linebacker units in the NFL for the second half of the season. General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus clearly wanted to attack the position in the offseason. That’s why they signed Tremaine Edmunds to a four-year, $72 million contract in March, then went ahead and also signed linebacker T.J. Edwards for three years and $19.5 million. Those were huge numbers to commit to one position.

Edmunds comes to Chicago after five seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He was in the same 2018 draft class as Smith, and the two of them were the first two linebackers selected that year. The Bears took Smith at eighth overall, while the Bills landed Edmunds at 16th overall. Edmunds went to back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2019 and 2020, something Smith didn’t achieve until last season, when he wore a Ravens uniform. In Buffalo, Edmunds emerged as an elite coverage linebacker with his 6-foot-5 frame. He knocked down 35 passes in five seasons and made five interceptions.

Looking forward: Edmunds should eat up space in the middle for the Bears’ defense in ways that a smaller linebacker can’t. He was an underrated part of the Bills’ success over the past several seasons. Adding him to a defense that already features a promising young secondary should excite Bears fans about this team’s ability to defend the pass.

The match with Edwards at linebacker is going to be fun. Edwards emerged as one of the best linebackers in the NFL during his year in Philadelphia. Edwards is an elite linebacker against the run. Paired with a rangy linebacker like Edmunds, there’s a lot to be excited about. Jack Sanborn could emerge as the third linebacker in the 4-3 base defense.

If the Bears take a step forward on defense, Edmunds will be a big reason why. He was the marquee signing in free agency, and he’s expected to be a marquee talent when he takes the field.

Top 25 most important Bears in 2023: No. 5 Tremaine Edmunds

The Bears signed Edmunds to a 4-year, $72 million contract in March

No. 5 Tremaine Edmunds

In case you missed it: Previous installments of the top 25

Sean Hammond