T.J. Edwards Dubbed Trade Candidate But Bears Can Ill-Afford to Move Veteran LB

Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards has been named a trade candidate, but he's not someone the team can afford to move.

Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards. | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears still have a little over three months to add to or subtract from their roster before the start of the 2026 season.

In the eyes of Pro Football and Sports Network's Jacob Infante, T.J. Edwards is someone to keep an eye on as a trade candidate before the start of the regular season.

Infante points to Chicago's desire to get faster on defense and Edwards' struggles in coverage as reasons why the team could move the veteran linebacker.

"The Chicago Bears have shown a preference towards adding speed on defense, which is a mantra that T.J. Edwards doesn’t necessarily meet. His 77.1 PFSN LB Impact Score is the worst score he’s had since 2020, and he’s been a liability for them in coverage," Infante wrote.

"He’s still a smart, physical linebacker, so a team in need of an upgrade at the position could offer a Day 3 selection to take Edwards off Chicago’s hands."

Edwards, 29, still has one more year left on his contract after 2026 and is coming off a season in which he appeared in just 10 games because of injury.

After dealing with a injuries during the regular season, Edwards came back in Week 14 and played through the wild-card game before he sustained a fractured fibula in that contest. Edwards' injury-plagued season was an outlier for him, though, as he had played in 16 games or more in five of his first six seasons.

While Edwards is still on the road to recovery, the expectation is he'll be ready to go by training camp.

"I feel great," Edwards told reporters in April. "Working really hard every day. Feel like I'm in a really good spot come summertime. I'll be ready to go out there with my teammates. But right now, I'm just doing everything I can to stay in it."

Why Bears can't trade T.J. Edwards

Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

After cutting ties with Tremaine Edmunds earlier this offseason, the Bears are relying on Edwards to once again play a key role on defense next to one of Chicago's prized free-agent acquisitions, fellow linebacker Devin Bush.

If the Bears were to trade Edwards, it would leave a huge question mark in the middle of Dennis Allen's defense, as the Bears would then be depending on D'Marco Jackson to start. Jackson is an ascending player, no doubt, but he only has four career starts.

The Bears also have shaky depth options behind Bush, Edwards and Jackson, with guys like Ruben Hyppolite, Noah Sewell, Nephi Sewell and rookie Keyshaun Elliott all competing for roster spots.

Even if the Bears wanted to trade Edwards, there's a good chance he wouldn't draw interest until he's fully recovered from his injury.

But the bottom line is this: trading Edwards would leave the Bears in a tough spot at linebacker, so we would expect him to remain in Chicago for at least one more season.