Photo caption: Chicago Bears Logo (credit: ChicagoBears.com)
It’s official, the Chicago Bears agreed to terms with several free agent contracts in March.
Since trading the No.1 pick for wide receiver DJ Moore and additional draft capital last week, the Bears have added linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, defensive end DeMarcus Walker, defensive tackle Andrew Billings, offensive lineman Nate Davis, tight end Robert Tonyan and running backs Travis Homer and D’Onta Foreman on short-term deals.
Of the several signings by the team, the three biggest that stood out to most Bears fans are Edmunds, who agreed to a four-year deal, along with Edwards and Davis who both agreed to three-year deals.
The Chicago Bears report Edmunds is a 6-5, 250-pound linebacker, who has spent the past four seasons with the Buffalo Bills after being drafted in the first round (16th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Virginia Tech.
He has started all 74 games that he’s played in while logging 359 tackles (153 solo), 35 passes defensed, 32 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and five interceptions.
Edmunds is also a two-time Pro Bowl selection (2019, 2020). Most recently in 2022, Edmunds made 13 starts for a 13-3 Buffalo Bills team that reached the Divisional playoffs. In 13 games, he logged 102 tackles (66 solo), 1.0 sack, one interception and six tackles for loss.
A native of Danville, Virginia, Edmunds also brings postseason experience to the Bears’ roster. Through four seasons in Buffalo, he made eight playoff starts (4-4), including three divisional games and one AFC Championship appearance. Edmunds has 71 postseason tackles (49 solo), 1.0 sack, two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.
Edwards, a 6-2, 242-pounder, spent his first four NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles after signing as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Wisconsin in 2019. He has appeared in 61 games, making 47 starts with 370 total tackles (206 solo), 20 tackles for loss, 13 passes defensed, 5.0 sacks and two interceptions.
Most recently in 2022, Edwards started in all 17 games for the Eagles and led the team with 159 total tackles. He added 10 TFLs, seven passes defensed, 2.0 sacks and one fumble recovery. Edwards’ 159 tackles were tied for the sixth-most in the NFL last season and stand as the second-most recorded in a single season in Eagles franchise history, trailing Bryon Evans’ 175 total tackles recorded in 1992.
Edwards made three postseason starts for the Eagles this year, tallying 13 tackles and a pass defensed. In Super Bowl LVII alone, he had six tackles (5 solo) and one pass defensed versus Kansas City. A Lake Villa, Illinois, native, Edwards attended Lakes Community High School.
Davis, a 6-3, 316-pounder, spent his first four NFL seasons with the Tennessee Titans after being selected in the third round (82nd overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. The Ashburn, Virginia, native appeared in 55 games (54 starts) during his stint in Tennessee, with an additional five playoff starts. The Titans finished in the NFL’s top five in rushing in three of his four seasons there.
Selected in 2019 out of Charlotte, Davis was a collegiate standout from 2015-18, appearing in 41 career games with 37 starts. A four-year starter on the offensive line, Davis started at guard from 2015-17 before switching to right tackle for his senior season in 2018.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
