Higher Quality of Bears Linebackers

It's a pretty simple concept.

Tremaine Edmunds is almost 6-foot-5 and his wingspan rates in the top 2% for the 7,744 linebackers in the mockdraft.com database. The Bears are going to deploy him in the middle of a zone defense and use him like a fly swatter, a physical fly swatter.

"They've had a pretty big linebacker here before, I've heard, wearing No. 54, and he was 6-4 and change," Bears linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi said, referring to Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher. "Look, when you play a lot of zone defense and you're 6-4½, you can take up a lot of space and fill up windows in zone coverages.

"So it definitely helps the coverage part of it because he is such a big person."

Consider the short Bears pass defense improved with Tampa-2 style players, like Love Smith had in his days as coach.

Last year the Bears ranked 31st preventing passing gains short left, 25th over the middle and 25th over the right side. They were 22nd in percentage of completions allowed short left, 20th over the middle and 27th short right, according to NFLGSIS tracking statistics.

"Tremaine is big, he's athletic, he's physical, he's really smart," Borgonzi said. "So it's going to be fun to use him in different ways."

One other way is as leader on the field.

"He's just really vocal," Borgonzi said. "When the huddle breaks, getting the defense lined up, just after the play talking with the guys. He loves football."

The Bears may have missed this element most of all when they traded Roquan Smith to Baltimore. They didn't win after that deal.

"Linebacker, it's almost like quarterback," Borgonzi said. "They get the call in the huddle, and when the huddle breaks, they get everybody lined up.

"So he's the communicator. Having a guy that's confident, that has done it before at a high level, it gives everybody else confidence."

If the Bears had merely stopped there at $72 million over four years with a new middle linebacker it might have been considered a success. They also brought in weakside help in T.J. Edwards, the former Eagles middle linebacker. So not only do they have that position covered, but they also have a replacement for Edmunds in case anything happens because Edwards had been playing the middle in Philadelphia.

"So both of those guys have played a lot of football," Borgonzi said. "T.J. came out in 2017, and Tremaine out in 2018."

The are in a new situation so an adjustment period is possible but not anticipated.

"So they've seen a lot," Borgonzi said. "This is a different system, but there's a lot of similarities to where they were at before, so I think there was a lot of carryover.

"I think they were able to come in and understand right away and play fast. They’re both really smart, and they both take their job really serious."

Considering their run defense ranked last in 2022 at defending runs up the middle (6.2 yards allowed per rush), being able to defend the run would be valued as much as anything else they contribute.

Tremaine Edmunds is going to be such a menace in the middle of the Bears defense this year 😈 pic.twitter.com/qkt0zpCET1
— Sadeek 𓋹 (@SadeekNextWave) July 18, 2023

The Starters

Tremaine Edmunds: No. 49, their 6-foot-5, 250-pound, two-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker, averaged 115 tackles a season with Buffalo for five years and is still just 25 years old. Edmunds has 35 pass defenses and was graded as Pro Football Focus' top linebacker against the pass last season and No. 5 overall. He reduced his percentage of missed tackles every year since 2019. Edmunds has lined up in the box as an inside backer 4,133 out of 4,564 defensive plays he's been on the field.

T.J. Edwards: No. 53, their 6-1, 242-pound weakside linebacker, started off as an undrafted Eagles backup who gradually worked his way into the lineup and last year was on the field 1,040 plays as middle linebacker, 356 more than any other seasson in his career. Pro Football Focus graded Edwards last year as sixth-best linebacker overall. He made two interceptions and allowed just 69.7% completions when targeted according to Sportradar. Edwards is the same height and 2 pounds lighter than Lance Briggs was as Brian Urlacher's partner at weakside in a similar scheme with the Bears.

Jack Sanborn: No. 57, the 6-2, 236-pound strongside linebacker, finished the last three games on injured reserve as a rookie with an ankle injury but sent a message as an undrafted free agent who at one time had been Edwards' teammate at Wisconsin. Sanborn started six games at middle linebacker last year after Nicholas Morrow was moved to weakside to replace Roquan Smith following a midseason trade. Sanborn allowed 76.5% completions and a 95.0 passer rating when targeted, while producing two sacks and missing only three out of 67 tackle attempts (4.5%). He also played key role on special teams with 153 plays

The Backups

Noah Sewell: No. 44, the 6-2, 253-pound fifth-round rookie from Oregon will be tried first at strongside in competition with Sanborn. A jack of all trades for the Ducks, he had 7 1/2 sacks, 20 1/2 tackles for loss, nine pass defenses and three forced fumbles to go with 218 tackles in three seasons. His biggest impact last year might have been as a blitzer, and he was called by PFF "the most powerful linebacker in his class." The brother of Lions tackle Penei Seweell, he still needs improvement and experience at pass coverage.

Sterling Weatherford: No. 50, a 6-foot-4, 221-pound former Miami of Ohio player who played on defense very sparingly and did make four special teams tackles in 14 game appearances. He was claimed off waivers after the Colts released him following 2022 training camp. Weatherford made 209 tackles in four years at Miami, 10 1/2 for loss, and had 19 pass defenses.

Dylan Cole: No. 55, a 6-foot, 237-pound, seventh-year veteran who played for Tennessee the last two years after being at Houston four years as an undrafted player initially. He never started a game until starting eight last season. He allowed 90.6% completions and a 121.0 passer rating against with two TDs when he was in coverage last year. His calling card has been special teams performer and he has 43 tackles there over his six seasons after playing at Missouri State in college. He will be in the strongside linebacker competition but both Sanborn and Sewell would have to rate higher.

DeMarquis Gates: No. 43, a 6-2, 221-pound undrafted player who spent almost all last season on the practice squad. He did get into three games and made a tackle on one of his two defensive plays. He was on for 35 special teams plays. The former Mississippi player had 282 tackles with 17 1/2 for loss and six sacks with three forced fumbles and nine pass defenses for the Rebels in four seasons.

Kuony Deng: No. 46, a 6-6, 250-pound undrafted rookie from VMI, Independence and Cal, was originally at Atlanta's training camp coming out of college in 2022 undrafted but didn't make the team. The Bears signed him to their practice squad in Week 16. He played from 2019-21 for Cal and made 156 tackles in 19 games including 10 for loss. He also knocked down eight passes and forced two fumbles.

Bears 2023 Linebacker Prospectus

They have upgraded to a much higher level after using veteran journeymen Joe Thomas and Matthew Adams, with Morrow and Sanborn last year following the loss of Smith. It should be a strong linebacker group against the pass.

Edwards gives them a physical tackling presence in gaps as a weakside linebacker and Edmunds can be used in many ways, as he was in Buffalo. Their zone pass coverage should benefit greatly from the addition of these two. Sanborn's role as strongside will be to take on or cover tight ends and backs. He'll have to be more stout against the run than last year when he was away from the line a bit playing middle linebacker. They've had a tradition of strong linebacker play and this group will fit right into it. Pro Football Focus calls them the second-best linebacker group in the league. Whether or not this is right can't be certain but the prospect for great improvement in all phases exists.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven