Bad news officially gets even worse for one of the Bears’ top defenders ahead of a crucial stretch
LB Tremaine Edmunds is headed to the injured reserve.
The Chicago Bears announced some bad news on the injury front, going into the weekend, ruling out three of the team’s top linebackers in Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, and Noah Sewell.
Those losses, plus the uncertainty surrounding cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, will put defensive coordinator Dennis Allen in a bit of a bind going into Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it’s a next-man-up mentality.
However, the bad news gets even worse for Edmunds. According to Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune, Edmunds was listed on the injured reserve section of the team’s media website, and Biggs added the linebacker’s current groin injury was “likely a multi-week injury.” Later in the day, the team made the official move to the IR.
Tremaine Edmunds was in the middle of a career season and now will miss a crucial stretch
With Edmunds indeed officially placed on the injured reserve, he will now be forced to miss at least four games before he can have his 21-day practice window opened, with the earliest he could return being Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers. NFL insider Tom Pelissero added on Saturday that it could be a four to six-week recovery.
It’s tough news for a player who was in the middle of a standout season in his first year under this new scheme. In 10 games, Edmunds leads the team with 89 tackles while ranking second in the NFL with four interceptions, trailing only his teammate Kevin Byard.
Working in this new scheme and moving positions from middle to weak side linebacker has paid off for Edmunds this season, and he was arguably the brightest spot on the entire unit.
“His skill set fits that position in terms of the things that we ask that position to do: the size, the length, the athletic ability,” Allen said on Thursday. “When you’re in the middle, there’s a lot of communication things that have to occur, and (on the weak side) you’re able to take a little bit of that off his plate. He’s a little bit more free to just go play.”
Allen was eager to work with Edmunds and Edwards, the team’s standout duo on the second level, but injuries have ruined much of that plan in 2025. Edwards has played just 265 defensive snaps this season after missing extended time due to a hamstring injury and recently suffered a broken hand.
Right when it looked like Edwards could be getting close to a return, now Edmunds could be down for the foreseeable future.
The good news for Chicago is that it’s loaded up with depth at linebacker. The Bears are going into Sunday’s game with D’Marco Jackson and rookie Ruben Hyppolite II as the expected starters, with Amen Ogbongbemiga as a reserve, plus having two other backers on the practice squad in Carl Jones and recently signed Jalen Reeves-Maybin, with the hopes of getting Edwards and Sewell back on the field soon.
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