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ESPN linebacker rankings offer surprising validation for Bears' Tremaine Edmunds

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated Jul 15, 2025 9:55 PM ET

The Chicago Bears and general manager Ryan Poles certainly thought they'd get more impact plays from linebacker Tremaine Edmunds after signing him to a four-year, $72 million contract in 2023. But after two years with the team, Edmunds has become an almost replaceable piece of a defense that has been, at times, a solid unit, but more generally, just about average.

Edmunds ended the 2024 season with 110 tackles and one sack. In 2023, his first with the Bears, he totaled 113 tackles and an impressive four interceptions. But his stats feel almost like they're inflated. If you ask any Bears fan for their favorite Edmunds moment over the last two seasons, they'd be hard pressed to find even one.

Yet, somehow, Edmunds still has a great deal of respect inside NFL buildings.

In a new poll by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, one that asked NFL executives, scouts, and coaches to rank the league's top off-ball linebackers for 2025, Tremaine Edmunds ranked No. 6.

Yes, you read that right. Edmunds is still considered a top-six off-ball linebacker entering the 2025 season.

"Smart, but not as instinctive as you'd hope," an NFL coordinator told Jeremy Fowler. "If you put his ability with [teammate T.J. Edwards'] instincts, you'd have an All-Pro."

Edwards was part of the same free-agent class as Edmunds and has outplayed him by a country mile. He inked a two-year, $20 million extension this offseason, which still falls way short of the $18 million per year that Edmunds is getting paid.

"He has the prototypical physique, athletic ability and speed that you covet in an ILB in today's game," an NFL personnel director told Fowler of Edmunds. "He can diagnose playing downhill in the box, he can play sideline to sideline and has the coverage ability to match up in zone or man coverage."

There's no denying Edmunds' physical traits. He was built in a linebacker laboratory. But not all players who look the part can play the part. That's not to say Edmunds is a bust; he's far from it. However, for the guy who essentially replaced Roquan Smith, he's been a disappointment.

Still, Edmunds has a chance to redeem himself in 2025 under new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who should find unique ways to take advantage of Edmunds' gifts.

If, however, Edmunds fails to have a bigtime year in 2025, the odds he'll be a Chicago Bear in 2026 are slim to none.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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