At one point, not long ago, the Chicago Bears were down to their fifth and sixth linebackers, not only playing meaningful snaps, but starting games this season. Now, as the Bears brace for the return of starting weakside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, they face new concerns.
The Bears have had to piecemeal their secondary, with their cornerback room missing Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon most of the season, and Tyrique Stevenson sidelined recently.
Their defensive front has not been immune, either, but this time a different group is besieged.
Bears Announce Decision on Tremaine Edmunds as Injury Trend Turns
Tremaine Edmunds’ Return Big News for Bears
The Bears announced in a post on X on December 15 that they “designated Tremaine Edmunds for return and opened the 21-day practice window.”
Edmunds has been sidelined since Week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings. He has missed the requisite four games after the Bears placed him on injured reserve. The Bears have gone 3-1 in Edmunds’ absence.
They had to turn to Amen Ogbongbemiga, D’Marco Jackson, and Ruben Hyppolite II without him.
T.J. Edwards’ return to the lineup in Week 14, after being out since Week 9, took some of the strain off the group, and Edmunds’ return will complete the Bears’ starting LB duo.
The Bears got a similar boost with Johnson returning to the secondary, but Gordon has landed back on IR and is out for the rest of the regular season. That has to be the Bears’ main concern for Edmunds, who is returning from a groin injury like Gordon was.
Bears WR Room Banged Up
While the Bears are trending in the right direction defensively as much as they can health-wise, their offense is taking significant hits.
Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze missed the first game of his career in Week 14 due to a foot injury, and then had to miss Week 15 after suffering a setback pre-game. His outlook going forward is murky at best. The Bears could even effectively shut Odunze down while he heals.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Odunze is considered “week-to-week.”
“All options are on the table,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said during his day-after presser on Monday. “We’re going to do what’s best for Rome first and foremost. I know he wants to be out there and helping. It’s hard to tell him no sometimes. He just wants to be out on the field competing and contributing, and helping our team win.
“There may be a case that we got to protect him from himself a little bit, just to make sure we get him right and he’ll be able to help us down the road.”
That would be bad enough, but Luther Burden III exited Week 15 with an ankle injury.
“His ankle is something where we’re still working through and talking about,” Johnson said. “We’ll see how this week goes in terms of whether we’ll have him available for Saturday night or not. But it’s more of a day-by-day type deal with him.
Bears Get Confirmation on Packers Injuries
In news that first circulated Sunday evening, the Bears got confirmation that the Green Bay Packers will not have edge defender Micah Parsons for their rematch next week.
That is critical after the impact Parsons had in Week 14.
“#Packers star Micah Parsons has, in fact, torn his ACL and is out for the 2025 season, the MRI confirmed,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on X on December 15. “He faces a 9 month recovery at least.”
The news favored the Packers more in the cases of offensive tackle Zach Tom, safety Evan Williams, and wide receiver Christian Watson.
Watson has the best chance to suit up against the Bears.