If Tremaine Edmunds signed on to become the next great Chicago Bears middle linebacker, he’ll get that chance from the get-go.
While meeting with the media at the NFL’s owners meetings, Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus told reporters that Edmunds — who inked a major contract during the first wave of free agency — will play the MIKE linebacker role in Chicago:
We knew that Edmonds would be right in the middle of things after signing a 4-year deal worth up to $7🍸2 million with $50 million in guarantees earlier in March. But now we know that it means he’ll be in the middle of it all figuratively and literally. This was probably always going to be the move. Although, it is a bit curious when you consider that the WILL linebacker spot is of the utmost importance in this scheme. You’d think the major financial investment would go to the player at the position deemed to be the most important to the defense. But I digress. After all, there is no one way to crack a nut.
Maybe that will be a job for T.J. Edwards, the other high-profile free agent signing that is part of the major offseason overhaul. Or perhaps it will have rising second-year linebacker Jack Sanborn in that spot. I like that the Bears have options and flexibility in an upgraded linebacker corps. It’s just that I’d like to have a better idea of who’s going where. Then again, that isn’t often the case in March. With that being said, maybe I’ll allow myself to be more patient in this process.
In any case, I’m looking forward to seeing how Eberflus and Defensive Coordinator Alan Williams lay out their defensive alignment. One piece of the puzzle is in place. The others still have a ways to go before they find their respective homes.
