The Chicago Bears have invested heavily at linebacker over the past couple of years. The question now is whether they’ve gotten adequate value from those moves.
T.J. Edwards
Edwards has been a solid player relative to his salary since the Bears signed him two years ago. However, the team recently gave him a raise with an extension. At 28 years old, there's a fair question about whether Chicago should have opted to get younger at the position. The front office views Edwards as someone who can finish his career with the team, but he’ll need to take a step forward from his 2024 performance to justify that projection.
Tremaine Edmunds
While Edwards has offered good value, Tremaine Edmunds has mostly been overpaid. To be fair, that’s partially due to the contract he signed, one that paid him like a top-five linebacker despite no track record of playing at that level consistently during his rookie deal. Still, even accounting for more modest expectations, Edmunds has underwhelmed. The Bears need him to be significantly better in 2025, particularly in run defense.
Amen Ogbongbemiga
Ogbongbemiga is currently the favorite to win the SAM linebacker job. He’s made a name for himself as a special teams standout but did get on the field for 15 defensive snaps last season.
Noah Sewell
Now entering his third season, Sewell has logged just 32 career defensive snaps. However, he's been a valuable special teams contributor for two years, which has helped him retain his spot on the roster.
Ruben Hyppolite II
Hyppolite was drafted to compete for the SAM role and appears to be pushing both Sewell and Ogbongbemiga. The Bears valued him highly, selecting him multiple rounds earlier than expected.
Carl Jones
Jones was a 2024 undrafted free agent who spent last season on the practice squad. He’ll be fighting to stick around for another year.
Power Echols
Echols, a rookie undrafted free agent from North Carolina, will be battling Jones for a practice squad spot.
Read more: Bears training camp position preview: Reinforcements join deep defensive line
Swayze Bozeman
Bozeman is a rookie undrafted free agent from Southern Miss who will also be in the mix for a practice squad position.