Tag: T.J. Edwards

Bears announce T.J. Edwards, Darnell Wright recipients of Brian Piccolo Award

Every year, the Bears select a veteran and rookie to honor with the Brian Piccolo Award. This year, it’s T.J. Edwards and Darnell Wright.

Courage. Loyalty. Teamwork. Dedication. A sense of humor. Those are just a few traits that described the late Brian Piccolo.

On Tuesday, the Bears announced linebacker T.J. Edwards and offensive tackle Darnell Wright as this year’s recipients of the Brian Piccolo Award. Each year, the Bears recognize a veteran and a rookie who best exemplify the traits Piccolo displayed during his time with the team.

Edwards finished up his first season in the navy and orange after he signed a three-year deal in free agency, coming over from the Philadelphia Eagles. He quickly became one of the team’s best defenders and formed a solid duo with Tremaine Edmunds, who also came over in free agency.

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In 2023, Edwards led the team with 155 tackles (eight for a loss), totaled 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and three interceptions. He was also one of the select players who joined presumptive No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams at dinner when he was in town for his top-30 visit.

Wright, meanwhile, was the top draft choice a year ago when he was selected No. 10 overall out of Tennessee. The hulking offensive lineman started as a rookie immediately at right tackle and started every single game. Though he allowed seven sacks on the season, Wright showed plenty of promise and is a building block for this offense going forward.

Piccolo is most known for his relationship with former Bears Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers, and their friendship was the spotlight of the film Brian’s Song, which has left a profound impact on many who have watched it.

Piccolo passed away after embryonal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of germ cell testicular cancer, had spread to his chest cavity. He was 26 years old. Still, Piccolo’s memory lives on through the stories told and an annual award that honors those traits that defined his character.

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New details from Caleb Williams’ dinner with Bears veterans

Rather than have dinner with front office and coaches, Caleb Williams went to dinner with some key Bears veterans during his Top 30 visit.

Caleb Williams will officially become a member of the Chicago Bears this week. It’s been all but official for the past few weeks, where Chicago has been preparing for the start of the Williams era.

After trading Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers last month, the Bears have made no effort to hide their intentions with Williams. They’ve spent extensive time with the future No. 1 pick between Los Angeles (pro day) and Chicago (Top 30 visit). That included getting to meet some of his future teammates.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided new details from Williams’ dinner at Sophia Steak in Lake Forest during his Top 30 visit, where he attended with Bears veterans rather than the front office and coaches.

When Caleb Williams visited Chicago in early April, the Bears did something smart. Rather than have Williams go to dinner with their front office and coaches, they sent him to dinner with team leaders Cole Kmet, DJ Moore, T.J. Edwards and others. The thinking was, those are some of the team’s most respected players, the players who others listen to, and this group then would be able to tell the other players what they were getting in Williams, who is likely to be the No. 1 overall pick.

Originally, the indication is Williams attended with both front office staff, coaches and players. But it appears the front office and coaches went to a dinner with other Top 30 guests while Williams got a head start building relationships with some of his future teammates and team leaders in DJ Moore, Cole Kmet and T.J. Edwards.

Williams has impressed every step of the way during the pre-draft process, where he’s made strong impressions on general manager Ryan Poles, head coach Matt Eberflus and supposedly Bears veterans. Now, the only thing left is for Chicago to submit the card on Thursday night.

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T.J. Edwards explains why he wants Justin Fields back with Bears

As the great Justin Fields-Caleb Williams debate wages on, T.J. Edwards explained why he hopes Fields is back with the Bears in 2024.

The Chicago Bears are in the midst of an important and busy offseason. They could be one of those teams to go from “worst to first” in 2024, but they need everything to go their way for that to happen, which starts with an incredible offseason.

Chicago has two top-10 picks (Nos. 1 and 9) in the 2024 NFL draft, which is where the conversation starts and ends at this point. The big question is whether the top pick will be used on USC quarterback Caleb Williams, which feels like the most likely outcome, or another rookie or if they decide to keep Justin Fields. Simply put, general manager Ryan Poles has a tenure-defining decision to make.

It’s going to be brought up by everyone who is involved with this team, whether it’s players, coaches, fans or media. Late in the media circus that was Super Bowl week, linebacker T.J. Edwards spoke to Jarrett Payton about all things going on with the Bears. He touched on the defense, which he believes is going in the right direction, but also his impression of Fields after this season.

“What I love about him is I could tell him Day 1 what kind of guy he is,” Edwards said. “He’s a calm, cool, collected type, and playing quarterback in this league — especially in Chicago — you’ve got to be that. You can’t be too overzealous at times, you kind of have to be right in the middle, where we can look to you at times when it’s going bad and know he’s going to make a play, and he did that.”

Edwards is the latest Bears player to make it clear that he wants Fields back in 2024.

“Playing against him, from experience, I hope he stays with us because I don’t want to play against him ever again,” he said.

Edwards is a very important player to Chicago’s defense going forward, and he seems to have a good grasp on the situation. This doesn’t mean Chicago is for sure going to keep Fields, but it does mean that there is some good that could come if they do. Someone who has gone against him in practice and relies on him to help win is endorsing how good he can be.

Edwards is in the NFL to win and he wouldn’t be out there saying this stuff if he didn’t believe it. These Bears players are going to be tired of talking about it by the time we get to the draft, but this decision being so huge is the reality of the situation. Hopefully, no matter what, Poles makes the right one.

2024 NFL Draft: Final compensatory pick projections for the Eagles

Philadelphia will receive a third-round compensatory pick and three fifth-round compensatory picks, according to Nick Korte of OverTheCap after losing Javon Hargrave, Isaac Seumalo, Andre Dillard and T.J. Edwards in free agency.

The Eagles made several critical signings during the 2023 NFL free agency process, with all of the additions being one-year deals.

Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman watched ten contributors leave on the open market.

Thanks to his shrewd maneuvering and roster building, the Eagles are in line for four valuable compensatory picks in 2024, according to Nick Korte of Over The Cap.

The Birds were slated to have six picks in the 2024 NFL draft, but thanks to the compensatory formula, they’ll have 10.

1 Eagles’ own pick
2 Eagles’ own pick
2 From Saints
3 Projected compensatory pick
5 From Vikings (can become fourth-round pick if conditions are met)
5 From Buccaneers
5 Projected compensatory pick
5 Projected compensatory pick
6 Eagles’ own pick, or the Titans’ sixth-round pick, whichever is better
6 Projected compensatory pick

Here’s an early look at the four compensatory picks and how Philadelphia landed the extra assets.

WATCH: T.J. Edwards comes up with third interception of the season

WATCH: T.J. Edwards comes up with third interception of the season

T.J. Edwards and the Chicago Bears defense put on a show on Sunday as they took down the Atlanta Falcons 37-17. Edwards has been one of the brightest spots for the Bears in a year that has been up and down to say the least in Chicago.

Edwards came up with his third interception of the season, and has thrived all season long in Chicago with 82 solo tackles and 143 total tackles on the year. After four seasons in Philadelphia, Edwards has found a home in Chicago:

WATCH: Bears LB T.J. Edwards makes diving interception to shut down Falcons

Bears LB T.J. Edwards made a diving interception against the Falcons before halftime.

The hometown kid continues to show out for his city.

Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards is part of an elite group of linebackers, with he himself being the best player of the group. He’s been instinctual and aggressive in his play, and he’s had a nose for the football. That tendency proved to be true once again in the first half of Week 17’s game against the Falcons.

With Atlanta shifting into the two-minute offense to try and steal a score before the end of the first half, Edwards read quarterback Taylor Heinicke’s eyes and bounded toward his intended target, diving for the thrown ball and securing an athletic interception.

The offense was not able to capitalize off the tremendous play — ending in a missed 55-yard field goal from Cairo Santos — but the pick shaved time off the clock and caused the Falcons to go scoreless in their endeavor to get some points before halftime.

Packers-Lions preview: Jordan Love’s improvement, and Jared Goff’s interceptions

Jordan Love of the Packers will look to continue his positive development against the Lions on Thanksgiving Day.

When the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions face off today to begin the Thanksgiving Day slate of NFL games, we’ll be watching Packers quarterback Jordan Love coming off a game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11 in which Love completed 27 of 40 passes for 322 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 108.5.

This included Love’s game-winning touchdown pass to receiver Romeo Doubs with 2:33 left in the fourth quarter.  Love took advantage of the Chargers’ busted coverage in Quarters, and made the right throw. Love is showing development both in and out of the pocket these days.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get further into Love’s quest to claim the title of Next Packers Franchise Quarterback.

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Conversely, Lions quarterback Jared Goff is coming off a 31-26 win over the Chicago Bears in which he threw three interceptions — something he hadn’t done since he was with the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. Greg and Doug look at what those interceptions mean, and what happened.

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You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” video, previewing all of Week 12’s biggest NFL matchups, right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Week 11 picks: Who the experts are taking in Eagles vs. Chiefs

Philadelphia and Kansas City are just days away from a Monday night showdown and we’re looking at who the NFL experts are picking in Eagles vs. Chiefs

After a bye week that should allow both teams a renewed freshness, the Eagles and Chiefs are set for a semi-Super Bowl rematch at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

The two teams last met on Feb. 12 in Super Bowl LVII.

Kansas City defeated Philadelphia 38-35 in that matchup to earn their third Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. The Chiefs enter Monday’s matchup on top of the AFC with a 7-2 record after defeating the Miami Dolphins 21-14 in Germany on Nov. 5.

Kansas City is looking to lock up an eighth-straight AFC West title.

Philadelphia is 8-1 and on top of the NFC East after a 33-28 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9.

With kickoff fast approaching, we’re looking at who the NFL experts are picking.

T.J. Edwards is fired up after the Bears traded for Montez Sweat

Bears LB T.J. Edwards learned the news of the Montez Sweat trade during an interview with 670 the Score.

Jaylon Johnson’s shocking trade request before Tuesday’s 3 p.m. CT trade deadline seemingly positioned the Bears as sellers, as there wouldn’t be much rhyme or reason to deal star cornerback to only bring in talent to bolster the team.

General manager Ryan Poles is evidently in a buyer’s mindset, as he orchestrated a trade for Washington Commanders star pass-rusher Montez Sweat in exchange for a premium 2024 second-round pick. This bold move was the shot of adrenaline the fanbase needed, and it also went over well with at least one Bears player.

One player who’s excited about Sweat’s addition is linebacker T.J. Edwards, who was live on the air with 670 the Score when the news broke. Edwards was “fired up” when he gave his off-the-cuff reaction.

“That’s a helluva player,” Edwards said. “Hell yeah, that’s big time, no doubt.” He then added: “That’s an unreal addition.”

Poles’ aggressiveness in bringing in big-time talent sheds some light on what the angle could be for Chicago in the Johnson situation. His sudden demand to be traded paired with the front office agreeing to allow his camp to explore options seemed frustratingly careless on first glance, as it’s never a great sign when a team doesn’t reward their homegrown talent and opts to ship them off somewhere else.

With the element of the Sweat trade now being considered, it’s possible Poles may be playing the long game with Johnson. It’s possible what he’s willing to offer Johnson is not quite where Johnson wants it to be, so by allowing him to see what his others offers are, it may make him see that what Chicago is offering is right around the same ballpark as other teams. This could be a leverage tactic for Poles to bring Johnson back to the table with more reasonable expectations.

No matter what happens with Johnson, Sweat’s presence instantly makes a shoddy defensive line much more dangerous, and Edwards’ reaction shows that the players appreciate the help.

5 Bears players to watch vs. Chargers

Despite being 2-5, the Bears still have a few solid players.

The Chargers are looking to snap their losing streak when they face the Bears in primetime.

While Chicago might not be having the best season right now either, as they’re 2-5, they still present a few players that could determine the outcome of this game.

Here are five Bears players to watch for.