Bears Release LB Tremaine Edmunds: What Decision Means for Free Agency, Cap Space

The Bears made another significant move on Thursday when they chose to release Tremaine Edmunds.

The Bears are releasing middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. | David Banks-Imagn Images

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The Bears’ busy offseason continued with the team opting to release linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. The move had been rumored prior, and capped off a day that already saw Chicago trade wide receiver DJ Moore to the Bills for a second-round pick.

Edmunds departs Chicago after spending three seasons with the team. The 27-year-old started 13 games in 2025 and tallied 112 total tackles, four interceptions and nine pass breakups for the Bears. He was particularly strong in run defense according to PFF, earning a grade of 81.1 which ranked 16th-best among linebackers across the league.

Here’s a look at what the move means for the Bears:

Bears have some money to spend

Releasing Edmunds will save the Bears $15 million in cap space. Between Drew Dalman unexpectedly retiring, the DJ Moore trade and the release of Edmunds, the Bears have cleared $44 million in cap space this week, per Field Yates of ESPN.

After previously having negative cap space, the Bears now rank 11th in the league with $32.01 million heading into the legal tampering period, which starts on Monday. This is key for Chicago as they look to continue building their team into a contender and addressing some of their needs...

Bears offseason needs

Despite winning the NFC North and making a run at the divisional round, the Bears have a number of needs to address, particularly on the defensive of the ball, where they ranked 29th in total yards allowed per game and 27th in rushing yards per game in 2025. Perhaps the new cap space will help the Bears pursue a trade for Maxx Crosby, the best player on the trade block this offseason. Or maybe it will encourage Chicago to go after an edge rusher such as Trey Hendrickson or Jaelan Phillips in free agency. The Bears have a number of avenues to bolster their defense, and the funds to pull it off too.

After Dalman’s retirement, the Bears could potentially make a play for center Tyler Linderbaum, who is one of the top players in free agency this year. Linderbaum is expect to command a market-setting deal, but the Bears now should be able to afford that.

Bears linebacker depth chart

Weakside LB: Ruben Hyppolite II
Middle LB: T.J. Edwards, Nephi Sewell
Strongside LB: Noah Sewell, Daniel Hardy, Dominique Hampton

With the Bears releasing Edmunds and linebackers Jalen Reeves-Maybin and D’Marco Jackson slated to become free agents, the Bears will need to replace Edmunds and add depth to their linebacker room. The linebacker class is strong this year in both the draft and free agency, giving the Bears options to fill the position. The Bears could upgrade at the position by signing one of the top linebackers including Quay Walker or Devin Lloyd, but after releasing Edmunds, they could also pursue a more affordable veteran or simply draft his replacement.

For Edmunds, he will join a talented group of linebackers hitting the free agent market. While he might not be quite the caliber of player he was when he made two straight Pro Bowls in 2019 and 2020, he is certainly an experienced veteran teams could look to sign this offseason.

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