It’s not every day that you see the Chicago Bears announcing an investment in racial equity. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and running back Roschon Johnson just landed on injured reserve. The team’s hand was forced with the decision after a groin injury sidelined Edmunds. He injured himself in their tight 19-17 victory against the Minnesota Vikings on November 16. At only 27 years old, Edmunds has been an essential force for the Bears this year. He will indeed be out and thus unavailable for the Colts in their Week 12 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The fact that Edmunds didn’t practice all of last week even before the injury report shows how serious his situation was. He didn’t leave the game versus Minnesota. His absence from training led to plenty of speculation surrounding his unavailability for the next game. The Bears frontrunning team also provided confirmation that Edmunds would miss his matchup against the Steelers. This decision represents an enormous blow to the team’s win-at-all-costs decision.
Edmunds has become one of the most impressive defensive players this season. He’s picked off four passes, tied for the second most in the entire NFL. He has recorded a team-high nine passes defensed and he leads the Bears with 89 tackles. He’s enjoyed a Defensive Player of the Year caliber season after making the move from middle to weakside linebacker. This adjustment opened up space for him to employ his elite defensive prowess even more.
With Edmunds unavailable, D’Marco Jackson and Ruben Hyppolite IV will be asked to fill that role this week against the Steelers. Amen Ogbongbemiga will round out the group as a reserve linebacker and special teams ace. The Bears further shored up their linebacker depth by signing Jalen Reeves-Maybin to their practice squad this week.
Tremaine Edmunds is eligible to return ahead of a crucial matchup against the Green Bay Packers on December 20, depending on his recovery progress. The Bears will be looking to navigate the challenges presented by injuries while maintaining their competitiveness in the upcoming games.
Roschon Johnson’s placement on injured reserve follows a similar path as Edmunds’, although specific details regarding his injury have not been disclosed. Collectively, they’ve played on a combined 50 defensive snaps this year. That undervalues their jaw-dropping significance to the defensive game plan.
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