For the first time in T.J. Edwards' NFL career, injuries hindered his gameday availability throughout the 2025 season. Yet, during the Bears' final five regular-season games, the veteran linebacker looked to be reverting to his previous high standards, recording 36 tackles, 0.5 sacks, two passes defensed and a career-first pick-6.
After starting in the Bears' wild card playoff win over the Packers— one of the biggest moments of his career both personally and professionally — Edwards suffered a fractured fibula, which he believed was just a sprained ankle in the moment, ending his year for good. Now, three months removed from the injury, Edwards is feeling positive about his rehab.
"I feel great," Edwards said. "Working really hard every day. Feel like I'm in a really good spot come summertime. I'll be ready to go out there with my teammates. But right now, I'm just doing everything I can to stay in it. It's great to have everyone back here. There were some cold days in Halas Hall in March when you're doing rehab. So, to get everyone back in the building is awesome."
Edwards spent the majority of the offseason in Lake Forest working through his rehab plan with the Bears' training staff and processing the season from a mental perspective, leaning on his strong support system to help shift his mindset.
While speaking to the media Tuesday morning on the second day of the team's offseason program, he dove into the emotions of being carted off the field during his first playoff game as a Bear. Despite knowing he was out for the remainder of the game, Edwards stayed in the locker room at Soldier Field and witnessed his team's incredible overtime victory against their NFC North rival.
"I had to watch and I got to celebrate with the guys and all that, hopping around, which was probably not what I should have been doing," Edwards joked. "Just excited to be a part of it man, because in this city there's nothing better than when the Bears are winning, right? I feel like we gave it all this year, or this past year, to be
in those type of games, and I'm just really, really happy to kind of see it all pay off. Now it's taking that next step and [we're] going to prove people wrong again."
While Edwards' seventh NFL season didn't play out as planned, he gained a new perspective and continued to learn from pouring into his fellow linebackers, including D'Marco Jackson, who resigned with the Bears in free agency, while he was unable to be on the field.
Much like the rest of the locker room and coaching staff, Edwards has put the 2025 season in the past and is solely focused on preparing for 2026. While coach Ben Johnson has preached that message in the media throughout the offseason and in the first team meeting Monday, Edwards got an early taste of that mindset back in March while at Halas Hall.
"You know Ben, I was in here like a month ago, just working out, just talking about teams starting to report," Edwards said, "and he was looking at me [and said], 'I'm getting that itch, we need to get the guys back here.'
"I was like, 'Coach, we've got a couple weeks, you're good.' But he's just a guy who wants to work, and you know he doesn't really care much about the past. It's cool what we did. What he cares about is correcting what we did wrong so that we can go out there and be better than what we were."
As the offseason program begins to ramp up over the next several weeks, Edwards will not only be working to return to full strength personally, but help lead a linebacker unit that gone through changes since the end of the 2025 season.
Following the departure of former captain Tremaine Edmunds, the Bears brought back Jack Sanborn, who played for his hometown team from 2022-24, and signed veteran Devin Bush to a three-year deal. Bush, a Michigan product, brings seven more years of NFL experience to the linebackers room, which includes his last two seasons in Cleveland.
"Big Ten linebackers, you know, you can't go wrong," Edwards, who played at Wisconsin, said. "But I think, obviously, knowing of him for a long time, same class and all that, he just went like seven rounds before me. ut [I've] known of him and know he's a really good player. Just got to meet him a little bit and chop it up with him, and he seems like a great guy.
"So again, one of those relationships I'm excited to build, a couple new faces right on the defense along with him, and I know what he brings in terms of speed and play-making ability. So excited to get to work with him."
While it's still unknown when Edwards will return to the field, he did make it clear he'll be pushing hard to move his rehab along while also being smart and listening to the Bears' training staff.
As former undrafted player, Edwards has needed to prove his ability and overcome adversity time and time again. He isn't worried about any external noise regarding his ability to return to the top of his game or his timeline to get back on the field."I've been doubted my entire career, and that's just fine with me," Edwards said. "And I feel like I thrive in that light to be honest with you. That's kind of how it was my first couple years in the league, and then sustaining that is what I strive for.
"I know what I'm capable of. I know the player I am and what I bring to a team. So really, the focus on me is just being the best teammate I can be when I get back on the field doing what I do."
