With camp underway, we’re breaking down every position group on the Chicago Bears.
Linebacker is one of the few positions on the Chicago Bears where a starting spot is truly up for grabs this offseason. The Mike and the Will are set, but last year’s Sam followed Matt Eberflus to Dallas on a one-year, $1.5 million deal.
Roster Locks
There was some talk early in the offseason about middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and weakside linebacker T.J. Edwards switching positions. It could have been just an experiment by defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to see how his players reacted, or perhaps he wants to ensure they’re prepared for whatever defensive front he intends to show. Regardless, these two are locks.
Edmunds, a two-time Pro Bowler from his time in Buffalo, hasn’t really lived up to the contract he signed in 2023, but Allen has been known to use his players creatively, so this could be Edmunds’ best year yet.
“I’m anticipating him being an exceptional playmaker for us,” Allen said via the team’s site after the first day of training camp. “He’s got size, he’s got range, he’s got speed. It’s hard to throw over him. He’s got a lot of length there in the middle of the field. I’m excited to see what he can do. That was a good start, but we’ve got a long way to go.”
Third-year pro Noah Sewell has been running with the ones at strong side linebacker, and after two injury-plagued seasons, he may be ready to assume a bigger role. He’s played in 22 games in his NFL career, and he’s younger than rookies Luke Newman, Zah Frazier, and Ozzy Trapilo.
After playing on a one-year deal in 2024, special teams standout Amen Ogbongbemiga inked a two-year, $5 million deal this offseason.
Rookie fourth-rounder Ruben Hyppolite II had a nice offseason and figures to be a core special teamer.
A Good Bet to Make it
That’s already five locks, and considering the Bears will only play two linebackers on the field about 60-70% of the time, that might be all we see.
On the Bubble
Swayze Bozeman was with the Chiefs last year as a UDFA, and he contributed on special teams late in the season and on through the postseason.
Carl Jones was a Bears 2024 UDFA who spent most of the year on the practice squad. He was elevated for one game, and he played 12 snaps on special teams against the Patriots.
Rookie UDFA Power Echols, along with Hyppolite, forgot to bring sunflower seeds to the linebacker room at camp, but other than that, their snack game was solid.