Bears Use Free Agency To Import Three Leaders To Upgrade Defense

There’s only one way for the Bears to go on defense, and the agreements they made on the first day of free agency suggest they are going to be much better next season.

In reaching deals to sign linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards as well as lineman DeMarcus Walker, the Bears restocked their shelves from a period in which they traded away arguably their best three defenders, Khalil Mack, Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn. The new group is considerably younger — average age of 26.6, compared to 30.3 — and under contract at least through 2025, which gives General Manager Ryan Poles a chance to build around it.

The three newcomers are highly regarded players who should join first-time starters like Jack Sanborn, Jaquan Brisker and possibly Kyler Gordon in providing immediate improvement on a defense that allowed 27.2 points per game, the most in the NFL.

Edmunds, a five-year veteran who will play at age 25 next season, is one of the prizes in this class of free agents. He was among the keys to a Buffalo defense that allowed the second fewest points per game last season. He was more highly graded by Pro Football Focus than Smith, the cornerstone player he is replacing.

In Edmunds and Edwards, Pace is acquiring two complete players who last season ranked in the elite tier of linebackers per PFF. Walker is coming of a breakout season for the Tennessee Titans, suggesting he may nicely fill a void in putting pressure on quarterbacks.

Edmunds, the 16th overall player in the 2018 draft after a career at Virginia Tech, was an instant starter for Buffalo and has never been used off the bench. He missed four games last season but still led the Bills in tackles.

PFF focus graded him fifth among 81 linebackers. It ranked him as the best coverage linebacker in the league last season, offsetting lower rankings in run defense and pass rush.

Edwards, a Chicago area native who was undrafted out of the University of Wisconsin, started 47 games in four seasons for Philadelphia, including all 17 this season. He led the Eagles’ stingy defense in tackles by a wide margin, including two sacks and 10 tackles for losses.

Pro Football Focus graded him out as sixth among 81 linebackers, with nicely balanced grades in run defense, pass rush and coverage. The Bears agreed to a three-year deal for $19.5 million with Edwards.

Walker, drafted in the second round by Denver in 2017, has played with three teams in six seasons but seemed to hit his stride last season. He recorded career highs in sacks (seven) and quarterback hits (16), prompting Poles to give him a three-year, $21 million deal.

Walker was graded out as 24th among 127 interior defenders by PFF. He was graded highly as both a run defender and pass rusher, suggesting he could be a fit to play the 3-technique spot in Matt Eberflus’ scheme.

The Bears also agreed to a deal with Tennessee guard Nate Davis (three years, $19.25 million) on Monday. They opened the free agent period with a reported $75.6 million in cap space, the most in the NFL, and still have plenty of room to make additional signings.

Spotrac estimates them to still have almost $51 million in cap room, due to the structuring of the deals for the four free agents who agreed to deals Monday. The agreements won’t become official until Wednesday, when the new NFL year officially begins.

After agreeing to trade the first overall pick to Carolina last week, the Bears have 10 picks in the upcoming draft, including four in the first 64. They will have to decide whether to use the ninth overall pick on an impact player — most likely to upgrade the offensive line or the defense — or trade down further to increase their inventory of picks.