The Chicago Bears' defense took a big hit, and that's always great news for the Green Bay Packers. As reported by ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Bears released veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds on Thursday night.
Now, the Packers can pour salt in the Bears' wounds by keeping Edmunds in the NFC North. He was a salary cap casualty for Ben Johnson's team, but he's actually still a productive player who could fill a major need in Wisconsin.
Tremaine Edmunds Signing Could Help Packers Stick it to Bears
The Packers are projected to lose LB Quay Walker in free agency, and Edmunds could be a suitable replacement. More than that, he's already familiar with the Packers' new secondary coach/passing game coordinator Bobby Babich, who coached Edmunds in the Buffalo Bills during a career year in 2022.
The Bears gave Edmunds a four-year, $72 million contract before the start of the 2023 season. However, as solid as he was for them, releasing him frees up $15 million in salary cap space. Even though that makes sense from a business perspective, no one would blame Edmunds if he wants to stick it to his former team by sticking in the NFC North as a Packer.
Edmunds logged 112 tackles in just 13 appearances last season, adding nine pass breakups, four interceptions, three tackles for loss, and one fumble recovery. That's impressive production for someone who played just 813 snaps last season, and a reunion with Babich could replicate that performance, if not improve on it.
Of course, Edmunds has never been the most efficient linebacker in coverage. Pro Football Focus gave him a 52.1 coverage grade, which ranked 50th among 88 eligible linebackers. He allowed 56 catches on 71 targets (78.9%) for 530 yards, four touchdowns, and a 93.1 passer rating.
Conversely, he was outstanding against the run, logging 42 stops and an 81.3 run defense grade, the 15th-highest in the league.
Former defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley's unit gave up 117.7 rushing yards per game last season, the 15th-most in the league. Adding a prime run-stopper who can also hold his ground against slot receivers and tight ends would be a prime addition, now that DC Jonathan Gannon has taken the reins of the defense.
Granted, the Packers would probably prefer to run it back with Walker, but Spotrac projects his market value at $8.3 million per year, and they may not want to go that high. Also, he just wiped out all mentions of the Packers from his social media accounts, all but guaranteeing that he's going to leave.
Bolstering the defense is a must this offseason, and doing so while turning a Bears salary cap casualty into a prime contributor would only make this move sweeter. Edmunds can still play, and he should be extremely motivated to prove they made a mistake.