The Chicago Bears made an interesting exchange at the linebacker position.
Three years ago, the Chicago Bears made a big splash in free agency, inking Tremaine Edmunds to a big contract to replace Roquan Smith. During his three years with Chicago, Edmunds did make a few splash plays, but he didn’t attack the ball like he needed to, and the consistency wasn’t there. Edmunds was good for Chicago, but he wasn’t great.
The Bears tried to find a trade partner for Edmunds this offseason, but with $15 million
due to Edmunds for the acquiring team, it was simply too much money. Edmunds was released and signed a deal with the New York Giants that will pay him $12 million a year, and he will obviously have a cap hit lower than that this season after bonuses are figured into the cap.
The Bears replaced Edmunds with LB Devin Bush. Bush signed a 3-year, $30 million contract with Chicago with $21 million guaranteed. The Bears paid less money than Edmunds signed in New York, and you could make the argument that Bush is a better player than Edmunds, at least, that he is in Dennis Allen’s scheme.
The one thing that no one will argue is that Bush plays faster than Edmunds. Bush was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 and had a solid rookie season, and it seemed like his career was headed in the right direction. Bush tore his ACL early in the 2020 season. Bush never really got the same explosiveness back in 2021 and 2022, so Pittsburgh decided to let him walk. Bush spent a year as a backup in Seattle before settling in with Cleveland for the last two seasons.
Bush had an excellent 2025 campaign and was the player the Steelers thought they were getting when they drafted him 10th overall in 2019.
If Bush is finally coming into his own as the talented prospect he once was, the Bears are about to get a steal over the next three seasons. If he settles more into the player he was before 2025, the Bears will be slightly overpaying for a decent linebacker. Either way, it’s a gamble worth having.
Bush is definitely a better scheme fit for Dennis Allen and brings the speed that DA covets. What are the negatives to this move? Similar to Bryant, you have to wonder if the Bears resources would be better spent on the defensive line and having DeMarco Jackson be one of the Bears two starting linebackers. But from a value and talent perspective, this is a solid move for the Bears.
