T.J. Edwards

Edwards was a victim of Philadelphia's deep linebacker corps and defensive philosophy of rotating its linebacking core more than the average team early in his caeer. He was unable to top 700 defensive snaps in any of his first three seasons in the league as a result, though he still broke out with 130 tackles in the last of those campaigns. Edwards has since flourished into a strong all-around defensive player. After joining the Bears for the 2023 season, he worked primarily in coverage (609 of his 1,042 snaps came in coverage, per PFF) and was successful with that responsibility. He'll retain a significant role in Chicago's linebacking corps alongside Tremaine Edmunds as the two full-time players, so there's little reason to expect a downturn in production. Edwards' profile is unique relative to the other elite IDP linebackers thanks to his prowess in coverage, giving him a well-rounded statistical profile in leagues where tackles are devalued.

After increasing his production and playing time in each of his four years with the Eagles, Edwards signed a three-year, $19.5 million contract with the Bears this offseason. In 2022, his 1,005 snaps was 311 more than he had in the previous campaign. With the move to a full-time role, he was able to post a career-high 159 tackles, his second in a row with triple digits. Aside from strong tackle numbers, though, Edwards has just five sacks and two forced fumbles as a pro. He'll be counted on for a similar workload in Chicago and thus should be a top IDP in the fall.

In his third NFL campaign, Edwards totaled a career-high 130 tackles (64 solo), a sack, an interception, a fumble recovery and five pass defenses across 16 games for the Eagles in 2021. This coming season, the 26-year-old will look to reprise his starting middle linebacker role -- one that carries IDP utility. To do so, however, he'll need to fend off the challenge of rookie Nakobe Dean, who Philadelphia landed in Round 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Edwards took a big step forward in his second season, more than doubling his rookie tackle total (30) with 70 stops on the year. The 24-year-old hasn't produced a ton of big plays in his two NFL seasons, but he nonetheless should compete for a starting role in 2021 with free-agent addition Eric Wilson.