Bears’ LB unit rated top-5 in NFL
Another Chicago Bears unit has been ranked among the very best in the entire NFL.
Pro Football Focus has rated Chicago’s linebacker unit as the third-best in the league, trailing only the Jets and 49ers.
The Bears were the NFL’s best run defense last season but ranked 25th against the pass. The team also generated more pressure in the pass rush after acquiring Montez Sweat but needs improvement there, too.
However, the linebackers were an area of strength for the Bears.
PFF ranked T.J. Edwards as the 11th-best linebacker in the NFL in 2023 out of 82 qualifying players. Jack Sanborn was 39th and Tremaine Edmunds was 70th.
“T.J. Edwards’ first season in Chicago was a success. He earned 75.0-plus PFF run-defense and coverage grades while contributing 13 quarterback pressures as a blitzer,” PFF wrote. “Tremaine Edmunds had a tougher time, posting just a 56.6 PFF grade, but we’re only a year removed from his fantastic final season in Buffalo in which he earned a 90.0 PFF coverage grade.”
If Edmunds returns to his Buffalo form and the Bears are able to get more push from the defensive line, the defense has a chance of making a solid jump.
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