Windy City Gridiron
The Chicago Bears made only one* significant change to their linebacking corps this season, but this group will look much different than the group that played in 2025.
Tremaine Edmunds, who was much better than fans want to give him credit for, was cut in a cap-saving move, and the Bears signed Devin Bush to take his place. Bush got a 3-year, $30 million deal, but his cap hit in 2026 will only be $5.6M. The Bears will slide Bush into the weakside linebacker spot, and his speed and athleticism should be an upgrade. Pro Football Focus had Bush as the only linebacker in 2025 (while in Cheveland) to grade above 80 against the run and in pass coverage. The 28-year-old had a slow start to his career, but he’s really coming into his own.
The Bears gave D’Marco Jackson a new 2-year, $7.5M deal, with some playing time incentives, and my guess is they want his speed on the field more this season. Last year, he received the first starts of his pro career, and in those 5 games (4 in the regular season, 1 in the playoffs), he had 37 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception, while being named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his Week 15 performance. His sample size was obviously smaller (261 regular-season defensive snaps), but PFF had him with an overall grade of 83.8.
T.J. Edwards was extended last offseason, but he struggled with injuries before he fractured his fibula in the playoff win over the Packers. He was never the most athletic linebacker, instead relying on his smarts to give him an edge, so the Bears need him back at 100%. Luckily, early reports had him doing some stuff at OTAs, so he may be ready when training camp opens. Edwards, who won the Brian Piccolo award for the third straight year, is a team leader both on and off the field, and as long as he’s healthy, he’ll be starting at middle linebacker.
My guess is that in some defensive subpackages, it’ll be Bush and Jackson staying on the field while Edwards comes off, but this could be matchup reliant depending on the offense’s personnel and down and distance.
The Bears picked Keyshaun Elliott in the fifth round a year after spending a fourth on linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II, but more on Ruben in the next section. Elliot has good instincts and was an excellent blitzer in college. I can see him as the eventual heir apparent at the Mike, but as a rookie, he’ll need to excel in the third phase to cement his spot on the 53.
*The Bears did bring fan favorite Jack Sanborn back after he spent a year in Dallas, where he missed 11 games with a groin injury. The soon-to-be 26-year-old signed a one-year league minimum deal, but his experience could give him an edge....
