Linebacker T.J. Edwards had a front row seat to watch a quarterback’s breakout season in 2022 with the Eagles and the hope in Chicago is that he’ll have another one this year.
Edwards signed with the Bears as a free agent this offseason, which means he’s now teammates with Justin Fields as Fields heads into his third season. Jalen Hurts was in his third season last year and everything came together for him as the Eagles made a run to the Super Bowl.
During an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Edwards was asked if he has seen any similarities between his former teammate and his new one.
“One thing with Jalen was he was always just kind of calm and collected,” Edwards said. “That’s why we looked to him so much, just because he was always that calming factor. You do see similarities with J Fields. He doesn’t seem to get rattled out there in terms of when we’re mixing up looks on him and stuff like that. Just from what I’ve seen with my first year — him just throwing the ball. Dude’s got such a strong arm, and he’s been very accurate just about this entire OTAs and minicamp. It’s exciting to see, especially since he doesn’t really add in the leg factor when we’re just in helmets and things like that. I’m really excited to play with a guy like that, a guy who can make all the plays who can also lead this team. He’s definitely the guy, so it’s exciting to be around. No doubt.”
The Eagles surrounded Hurts with a much stronger team than Fields had around him in Chicago last year, but adding Edwards and a number of offensive pieces this offseason was designed to set the quarterback up for success. While it remains to be seen it that will result in the same kind of leap that Hurts took in 2022, anything close will be celebrated as a step in the right direction in Chicago.