The Chicago Bears are likely going to have to begin the 2025 NFL season against the Minnesota Vikings without their middle linebacker. Veteran T.J. Edwards will begin the year on the sidelines and miss the first Monday Night Football contest of the year with a hamstring injury.
Edwards has been dealing with a hamstring injury for a while and is doubtful for the Monday night game, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The 29-year-old has not practiced in over a week and appears to be a long shot to play in Week 1.
Edwards is entering his seventh season in the league and third with the Bears. He did not miss a game in either of his first two years in Chicago and has 284 tackles since the start of the 2023 season.
Although Edwards was not named one of the team's season-long captains, he is a clear leader of the defense. The Bears hired former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen as their defensive coordinator in the offseason, who named Edwards as one of the players he liked on the roster.
Without Edwards in the lineup, the Bears are likely to turn to third-year linebacker Noah Sewell. With Amen Ogbongbemiga beginning the year on injured reserve, Sewell is just one of two backup linebackers on the active roster. Third-year D'Marco Jackson, who played for Allen in New Orleans, joins him as the team's reserves.
Bears begin 2025 season against Vikings with hobbled defense
Edwards is not the only player on the Bears' defense dealing with a nagging injury. Chicago is also in danger of potentially facing the Vikings without star cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who continues to deal with calf and groin issues.
The Bears also placed second-year edge-rusher Austin Booker on injured reserve. Booker suffered a knee injury in the preseason and will miss at least the team's first four games.
The injury concerns are playing a factor in the betting market, with the Vikings closing as slight 1.5-point favorites. Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy will make his professional debut in the Monday Night Football prime-time affair.
