T.J. Edwards playing at All-Pro level for Bears

The Chicago Bears have found another star at the linebacker position that the team brought in prior to the start of the 2023 season.

Linebacker T.J. Edwards has been playing exceptionally well since joining the Bears in 2023 and could be the team's first All-Pro player since Roquan Smith.

Smith technically won the award in 2022 after playing for both the Bears and Ravens since he was traded at the deadline. If you exclude Smith from the list, the last first team All-Pro from Chicago was Cordarrelle Patterson in 2020, and the last defensive first team All-Pros for the Bears were Khalil Mack, Eddie Jackson, and Kyle Fuller in 2018. Nevertheless, Edwards has a strong chance to join that exclusive list.

The Bears signed Edwards to a 3-year, $19.5 million contract during the offseason and through 11 games, he's more than earned his money with his second team. In fact, he's proving to be a massive bargain for the Bears.

Edwards leads the Bears with 121 tackles, tied with the second-most sacks (2.0), and has two turnovers (1 forced fumble and 1 INT) on the season. According to Pro Football Focus, Edwards has the third-highest defensive grade, the third highest run defense grade and the highest pass rushing grade on the entire team in 2023.

Edwards is on track to finish the season with over 180 combined tackles, and at his current pace would have the most combined tackles in a season by any player in Bears franchise history.

In big knock on Edwards has been his coverage skills throughout his career, but that's exactly where he shined in Week 11 against the Lions. Edwards allowed a 48.2 passer rating, thanks in part to his interception off of Lions quarterback Jared Goff in the second quarter.

Edwards dropped perfectly into the passing game and picked off the pass on a play where Goff literally did not see him in coverage.