The Bills made the playoffs the year before they drafted linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in the first round of the 2018 draft, but they were hardly regulars.
That 2017 trip to the postseason was their first since 1999, but the arrival of Edmunds and others helped spur a big turnaround in Buffalo. They missed the playoffs in 2018, but advanced the last four seasons and they won the last three division titles.
Edmunds won’t be part of the push for four in a row because he left for the Bears as a free agent this offseason. The Bears have only made the playoffs twice since 2010 and Edmunds said on NFL Network this week that he is looking forward to the chance to be part of another turnaround.
“I was just excited for the opportunity, man,” Edmunds said. “I’m a guy, I like when the odds are against me, I like when the odds are against us. I feel like individuals make the best moves when you’re underestimated, and I wanted to go to a team where I could be part of a rebuild. I can be part of turning this thing around, man. It’s just about knowing there are going to be some thunderstorms sometimes, but you gotta be able to stand through those thunderstorms sometimes long enough to stand through some sunshine one day. Just being a part of that and being a big part of that defense and being a big part of that rebuild, it made me want to be a part of it, for sure.”
The Bills’ change of fortunes came with a lot of help from a first-round quarterback and the Bears will be hoping that Justin Fields can make the same kind of ascension that Josh Allen has made over the course of his career. If that happens while Edmunds helps solidify the defense, better days should be coming in Chicago.
