The Bears kicked off the legal tampering period of free agency with the first reported deal of the year when both Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter each tweeted that Ryan Poles had agreed to a three-year deal with linebacker T.J. Edwards. It didn’t take long for word to spread, and a few hours later fellow Bears linebacker Jack Sanborn shared a special welcome for Edwards.
Sanborn and Edwards played one season together for the Wisconsin Badgers in 2018 when Sanborn was a freshman and Edwards was a senior. Each man also went undrafted, but earned a starting role as a rookie. Edwards cracked the defensive lineup for the Eagles in 2019, and Sanborn earned a spot with the Bears last year.
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Edwards played middle linebacker for the Eagles, and there’s a good chance that’s where he plays for the Bears. Middle linebacker is also where Sanborn started after Poles traded Roquan Smith to Baltimore. Sanborn played a little bit at strongside linebacker, so there’s a chance he and Edwards could share the field next year.
Over his career, Edwards has started 47 games and notched 389 tackles, five sacks, 13 passes defended, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Edwards also has a connection to Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham from their time together in Philly.