30 Most Important Bears of 2025: Tremaine Edmunds (No. 23)
Every day from now right up through training camp, we're counting down our 30 Most Important Bears for the 2025 season. We'll recap their 2024 season, look ahead to 2025 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year.
Next up at No. 23 is linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who XX
Background
Position: Linebacker
Age: 27
Experience: 8th season
2025 cap hit: $17.43 million
2024 recap
The Bears made Edmunds one of the highest-paid linebackers with a four-year, $72 million contract in 2023. While Edmunds has been consistent throughout his NFL career, as he's totaled at least 100 total tackles every season, the problem is the Bears are paying him like an elite linebacker when he's yet to prove that. Edmunds saw a dip in production last season, where he totaled 110 tackles, including three tackles for loss, one interception, eight pass breakups, one sack and one forced fumble. While Edmunds made plays, he still left some to be desired, especially in the form of missed tackles (he missed at least one tackle in 10 of 17 games) and passer rating allowed (92.9). Edmunds graded out as one of the worst linebackers, via Pro Football Focus, with a 59.3 overall grade. He notably struggled in coverage (56.3) and pass rush (52.9).
2025 outlook
Edmunds is entrenched as the Bears' starting middle linebacker alongside T.J. Edwards heading into the 2025 season, and he'll be key to the success of this defense. Edmunds should benefit from the addition of new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who employs the kind of defensive scheme that could make him a formidable force in the middle of the field. Following a so-so first couple of seasons in Chicago, Edmunds needs a big year to justify his lofty contract and prove that he's worthy to remain on the roster in 2026.
Big Question: What does Edmunds' future hold?
There are a number of players who serve to benefit from the addition of new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, including Edmunds who has the potential for a breakout year in Allen's linebacker-friendly scheme. And Edmunds needs a big season if he hopes to remain in Chicago. Edmunds is entering the final year of his contract next season, and there's an out in the final year of his contract that would only cost the Bears $2.43 million in dead money as compared to this year ($35.46 million). Even if Edmunds finally has that breakout year in Chicago, it's going to need to be big enough to justify a $17.43 million cap hit in 2026. Especially if Ruben Hyppolite II has a promising rookie season and gives the Bears cause to believe he could slide into that middle linebacker role.
30 Most Important Bears of 2025
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
35 minutes ago
- USA Today
Buccaneer' Yaya Diaby: Tampa Bay's Most Underrated Defensive Player
While the spotlight on the Buccaneers' defense often revolves around Antoine Winfield Jr., Vita Vea, or Lavonte David, edge rusher Yaya Diaby quietly emerged as one of the most impactful and underappreciated players in 2024. Diaby didn't lead the team in sacks, finishing with 4.5 and down from 7.5 in his rookie year, but his impact was evident in game-changing pressure numbers. According to Pro Football Focus, he posted an 18.1% pass‑rush win rate, which is good for the top 10 among NFL edge rushers, and generated 70 total pressures over 18 games. These metrics tell the real story: Diaby was consistently disrupting backfields, collapsing protection schemes, and converting pressure into production. PFF even named him the Buccaneers' most underrated player, noting that while his sack totals didn't explode, his pressure metrics clearly pointed to a breakout year. Diaby's contributions weren't limited to the pass rush. He recorded 13 tackles for loss and 20 quarterback hits, tying for 18th in the NFL in both categories. Not only was he impacting passing downs, but he was also a consistent disruptor in run defense, too, setting the edge and making plays behind the line. In the Buccaneers' defensive scheme, which historically relied heavily on blitzing, Diaby's progression allows greater flexibility. Tampa Bay can now generate pressure from its front four more often, easing the reliance on blitz-heavy looks and giving secondary players more recovery time. Despite his consistent effectiveness, Diaby's value hasn't been reflected in highlight reels or mainstream media as a rising star. Yet his presence is vital to a defense that ranked in the NFL's top 10 for total pressures and sacks in 2024. As the Bucs aim to transition the defense toward a more balanced style and generate pressure without overblitzing, Diaby stands to play an even bigger role. With improved sack totals and continued disruption, he's poised to break through into more national recognition. In a defense packed with star power, Yaya Diaby is the unsung hero. His relentless pressure, behind-the-scenes consistency, and proven growth make him the most underrated defensive player on Tampa's roster in 2025.
New York Times
44 minutes ago
- New York Times
Why Kirk Cousins felt ‘misled' by the Falcons and played through injury in Netflix series
It would be absurd to argue Kirk Cousins is in any way a tragic story, but here we go anyway. Cousins, the Atlanta Falcons' savior-turned-backup, stars in the second season of 'Quarterback,' Netflix's documentary series highlighting the sport's most glamorous position. The new season debuted on Tuesday. Advertisement It is the second time Cousins has appeared in the show, and the second time a Falcons quarterback has been featured. Cousins was part of the debut season in 2023 along with then-Atlanta quarterback Marcus Mariota. Mariota and Cousins were both benched by the Falcons in their featured seasons, so don't expect to see Michael Penix Jr. on the next season of 'Quarterback.' In fact, the series might be gaining a reputation around the league thanks to a track record that rivals the Madden video game cover curse. In Season 1, the three subjects were Cousins, Mariota and Patrick Mahomes. Cousins tore his Achilles tendon early in the season and Mariota was benched, though Mahomes and the Chiefs went on to win a second straight Super Bowl. In Season 2, Cousins is joined by the Bengals' Joe Burrow, who missed the playoffs despite a prolific passing season (and had his home burglarized), and the Lions' Jared Goff, who suffered a shocking first-round playoff loss. Falcons fans are well aware of how Cousins' story played out. It started in storybook fashion, of course. Cousins, who had spent six years in Washington and six more in Minnesota trying to get those teams to fully embrace him, seemed finally to have found a partner willing to commit. Any excuse to post the KhaDarel Hodge walk-offhttps:// — Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) March 17, 2025 The Falcons offered a four-year deal that guaranteed $90 million (and has already paid out $100 million) and was potentially worth $180 million, the largest total-value free-agency deal in league history. It seemed like a great fit. Atlanta is the sports city that has always just wanted to be loved, and Cousins was more than willing to wrap his arms around it. In his introductory news conference, Cousins talked about being married and having a child born in the city, his father-in-law's Falcons fandom, his native's knowledge of the city's dreadful traffic and the laser show at Stone Mountain. He was all in, and he thought the team was, too. Advertisement But the Falcons were batting their eyes at someone else within six weeks. The new season of 'Quarterback' doesn't offer many insights beyond what Cousins already has said publicly, but this comment from Cousins in Episode 1 about the drafting of Penix had a sharp end to it: 'Was pretty surprised when the draft happened, wasn't expecting us to take a quarterback so high. At the time, it felt like I had been a little bit misled or certainly if I had had the information around free agency, it would have affected my decision. I had no reason to leave Minnesota, as much as we loved it there, if both teams were drafting a quarterback high.' Still, the honeymoon phase in Atlanta was fun, which 'Quarterback' chronicles. In Episodes 3 and 4, we get to relive the city's joy at the Falcons' 6-3 start, 'Swag Surfin'' and 'Take Over Your Trap,' hear head coach Raheem Morris telling Cousins 'I love you, I love you' on the field after the overtime touchdown pass to KhaDarel Hodge, and see Cousins, his brother and two longtime friends belting out Cher songs while waiting in the Cookout drive-through line after a win over the Cowboys. Then the wheels — and the shoulder and the elbow — fell off. The end of Episode 4 is when the ominous music kicks in, and it comes when Cousins is sacked by Saints defensive end Payton Turner in Week 10. 'Immediately, my elbow lit up, and I knew I had irritated something. Had a shooting pain through the inside of my elbow,' Cousins told Netflix, adding, 'My shoulder started to really throb, so I knew right away, OK this is a little more serious. Once I lost my shoulder and elbow, I didn't have many more things to lean on to get the power I needed. It's hard looking back to not view it as things certainly turned in that moment because in a way they did.' At the time, Cousins and the team downplayed the idea of an injury, even as that game kicked off a five-game skid that included nine Cousins interceptions and four Falcons losses. Cousins called his appearance on the injury report the following week 'a clerical error.' Advertisement 'If I was going to be on the injury report every time I didn't feel 100 percent, I would have been on the injury report every week of my entire career, including college,' he told Netflix. 'The way I viewed it is if I took every single rep in practice, then I'm a full participant. I'm not basing it off the pain I feel because I feel pain every week.' There's a compelling argument to be made that Cousins should have been more open with his employers about his physical condition and an equally compelling argument that his employers should have pressed him more on the matter, but 'Quarterback' doesn't get too deep in those waters. 'Should I have sat out? Should I have done something different in my rehab? You know, you have all those questions,' Cousins said. 'With the information I had at the time, I made the best decision, but you also know if you sit down Week 10 and take two or three weeks to let it heal, you may never get your job back. I remember reading Drew Brees' book back in 2010, how he made the point that he tried to never let his backup see the field, even if the guy was no threat. He just felt like you should never do that. That was something I always was aware of.' The show does, though, walk Cousins and his family slowly through the season's difficult end. Again, there is no tragedy here. Cousins has been paid $294.2 million to play professional football, more than all but five other players in history, for a career that includes one playoff win. He and agent Mike McCartney are first-ballot contract negotiation Hall of Famers. He has a happy and healthy family, which the series chronicles. There is no reason at all to feel sorry for him, but watching Julie Cousins recount the night her husband lost his starting job isn't easy. Morris called Cousins at home the Tuesday night after Atlanta's Week 15 win over the Raiders, his wife said. 'He knew what that meant and so did I,' Julie Cousins said. Throughout his career, and especially during his time in Atlanta, Cousins has been willing to open up an informational vein and be vulnerable in a way most of the league's stars are not. Advertisement He's an unironically abashed fan of virtually the entire Disney movie catalog and a lover of a good story. He knows, it seems, the type of details that make those stories good, and he often offers up honest and intimate details to the storytellers that circle the NFL. Julie Cousins shows the same traits in Episode 7 as she recounts the night Cousins was benched. 'He was gone for about an hour, and that was a really sad time,' she said. 'My kids were playing, and I was crying. They were like, 'What's wrong? Is he not on the team anymore?' He came back and sat in the garage. When I went out there, he was calling Michael, which I thought was really cool, like, 'Who does that?'' The couple then explained to their two young sons that 'Mr. Michael is going to be the quarterback now,' Julie Cousins said. Overall, there isn't much new in 'Quarterback,' but it is a good reminder of how much fun it might have been for both sides if things had worked out differently. The series for Cousins wraps with the quarterback acknowledging his future is murky but underlining his belief that his story is not finished. 'I want to finish with a world championship,' he said. 'I'm going to have a fire in my tank to finish strong, wherever this thing goes.'
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
2-time Super Bowl champ: New York Giants' Abdul Carter 'could be a problem' for NFL
One of the New York Giants' biggest needs this offseason (outside of quarterback) was on the defensive side of the ball. General manager Joe Schoen's solution to that need was to select Abdul Carter with the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Carter was a standout linebacker at Penn State before entering the draft. During his final collegiate season, he recorded 24 tackles for a loss and 12 sacks. But there's one question every team has about every rookie: Will he acclimate to the NFL and be the stud we need? For Carter, the answer to that question throughout minicamp and organized team activities (OTAs) was a resounding yes. Former NFL wide receiver and two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Hogan spoke with Pat Leonard on Talkin' Ball, and what he's hearing from around the league echoes what we've been hearing all offseason. "It's tough to come into this league and have that dramatic impact right away," Hogan said. "You're not going against college-level athletes every down now. You're going against top-tier tackles and guards. . . And the NFC East is not an easy division to play in. But from what I've heard -- and I have some guys that are still playing in the league and on the Giants currently -- he could be a problem. "You watch him on film on his college tape, he's a big body -- he's not enormous, doesn't have a huge frame -- but those guys that have that engine where they're going and they're not gonna stop, they can be problems on defense. Especially if they find unique ways to move him around and put him in different spots and create matchups for him to get creative with his pass rushing and make an impact. I'm excited about what he's going to be able to do at the NFL level." Hogan played 10 seasons in the NFL, including a short stint on the Giants' practice squad in 2011, and attended Carter's alma mater, Penn State. He was also part of the New England Patriots from 2016-2018, which is where he earned his Super Bowl rings. This isn't the first time we've heard about Carter presenting a problem for opposing offenses, and the Giants are thoroughly pleased with their rookie linebacker. Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen will move him around as needed, and Carter will provide the spark that gets this defense going. Make no mistake, this is still Dexter Lawrence's defense, but Carter is going to ignite the players with his explosiveness and talent.
