It was hard enough to see Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards on the sidelines after their Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but it was even worse to see him leave early from the Week 2 game against the Detroit Lions and not see him since.
What a welcoming sight for Bears fans on Tuesday to read that Edwards was back at practice after dealing with his hamstring injury. He has missed three games and played only part of the Lions game before leaving that contest early.
With only four tackles to his name this season, Edwards has something to prove, and he knows it. That's when, speaking with reporters after Tuesday's workout, he expressed his excitement about returning to the field.
"It felt good moving around and being back out there. When you're out for a little bit and hurting, you miss it, man," Edwards said via CHGO's Adam Hoge.
Bears are getting one of the top defenders back at the right time
While Noah Sewell has been more than a suitable replacement for Edwards, the Bears' defense has had their fair share of struggles early in the season. They're coming off a game where they gave up 240 rushing yards in the 25-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
For the season, the Bears are ranked 27th in total defense, allowing an average of 379.5 yards per game, and are last in rush defense, surrendering 164.5 yards per contest. Even their scoring defense is ranked low, at 25th, with 29.3 points allowed per game.
Some of the contributing factors to the Bears' struggles on defense have been the large number of injuries to that side of the ball. This is a defense that has played without Austin Booker, Grady Jarrett, Kyler Gordon, Jaylon Johnson, and Edwards for all or part of the season.
Read more: Caleb Williams says what every Bears fan wanted to hear from him during bye week
It has been tough on the Bears, but they have still managed to go 2-2 heading into the bye week, which, by many people's standards, is a pretty good record. There is high hope Edwards will be back in Week 6 against the Washington Commanders on Monday night, which will be much needed to get the defense back on track.