A Scout’s Take on the 2024 Chicago Bears linebackers
A Scout’s Take on the 2024 Chicago Bears linebackers
The defensive scheme that the current Chicago Bears run is pretty much the same scheme we used when I was with the Bears under Lovie Smith. The profile for each defensive position is very similar, so the type of players the team wants is close to the same as we used starting 20 years ago in 2004.
If there is a difference, it is with the linebacker position and not from the standpoint of the profile for each position but rather how many linebackers play on base downs.
When Lovie was named Head Coach in 2004 and brought Tony Dungy’s Tampa-2 scheme with him we played with mainly three linebackers most of the time. Because offenses are now more wide-open and use three to four wide receivers most of the time, the personnel the scheme uses has changed some. Instead of a base 4-3 scheme, for the most part, the base defense is a 4-2-5. The Sam linebacker has been replaced by a nickel corner much of the time. In fact, in today’s game, the Bears play with three linebackers, less than 20% of the defensive snaps in each game.
When we look at the physical traits of the Bears' current Mike and Will linebackers, they are very similar to when Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs lined up at those positions starting in 2004.
At Mike is Tremaine Edmunds, who is big, tall, long, and athletic. When he came into the League, he measured 6045 – 252 and ran a 4.54 and 34.5” arms. Edmunds has very good cover skills and with his height, length and speed, he gives the Bears a high advantage in the middle zones, very similar to what Urlacher gave us when he was a Bear. Because of that height and length, it is much more difficult to throw over the middle because the quarterback has to change the trajectory of his throws to get past Edmunds. It may not sound like much but it is.
When Edmunds first came to Chicago last year, it took him some time to adapt to playing in a new scheme. Missing time in training camp did not help, but by the second half of the season, he was playing as well as he did when he was with Buffalo, and he was a Pro Bowl linebacker then. Tremaine is only 26, so he is just hitting his peak as an NFL player. He still has several years of good football in front of him.
The Bears Will linebacker is T.J. Edwards, who, like Edmunds, was signed as a UFA a year ago. Edwards’ physical traits are very similar to Lance Brings in terms of size and speed, and like Briggs, Edwards has great instincts. In the Bears scheme, it is imperative that the Will be a playmaker, and that is exactly what Edwards is. Last year, he led the Bears in total tackles with 155 and recorded three interceptions. Again, his numbers are very similar to what Briggs put up.
When the Bears use a Sam, that player is third-year man Jack Sanborn. While Sanborn is very good as a Sam, what is special about him is that he can play all three linebacker positions equally well. If either Edmunds or Edwards goes down with an injury, Sanborn is there to fill in, and though there is a drop-off in play, the drop-off isn’t much. How Sanborn was an undrafted free agent and not drafted is beyond me. He has great instincts and a very good feel for the game.
After the starting three, there will be either two or three linebackers to fill out the 53-man roster. Because the Bears seldom play with three linebackers, they had just five linebackers active for much of the 2023 season. The fourth linebacker is second-year man Noah Sewell. Sewell missed some time last year with injuries, and that more than likely slowed his development, but he is a player. He is very fast and athletic and plays with a nasty attitude. He can be a very aggressive player. Like Sanborn, he can play more than one position. Last year, he learned Sam and Will, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he also learned to play some Mike this year. On many clubs, Sewell would challenge to be a starter, but the linebacker corps here are very good.
After Sewell, the next man on the depth chart is veteran free agent acquisition Amen Ogbongbemiga. Like the others, Amen is capable of playing Sam or Will, but he is also a very good special teams player, and that is where he will make his mark with the Bears this season. Amen has physical traits similar to the others in that he is very athletic and fast and plays a physically aggressive game.
If the Bears are to keep six linebackers, the battle for the sixth spot with be between two people. Micah Baskerville is in this second season, having signed with the Bears as a UDFA following the 2023 NFL Draft. Baskerville isn’t the fastest guy, having run just 4.84 at his Pro Day, but he has excellent instincts, which allow him to play faster than he times. While he was a practice squad player most of the time last year, he did get brought up to the varsity a few times and showed he could make plays on special teams.
In April, following the Draft, the Bears signed UCLA linebacker/edge Carl Jones Jr. Jones isn’t the biggest guy at 5116 – 222, but he runs in the low 4.5, and like the others, he is very instinctive. At UCLA, he showed he is a better-than-average pass rusher despite his smaller size. The one thing that jumped out on tape was his aggressive play and how well he could use his hands. In the Bears scheme, Jones can play Sam or Will, and it will be interesting to see how well he plays once the pre-season begins.
Paul Moala signed as a UDFA after a rookie minicamp tryout and will try to impress.
Overall, the Bears linebacker unit is both talented and deep. The group is loaded with speed and can easily be one of the better linebacker corps in the NFL if the key players (Edmunds. Edwards) remain healthy.