Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles took an unexpected approach on day one of the early negotiating window for free agency, but they bolstered their linebacker corps with two players that excelled in pass coverage in 2022. The NFL is a passing league, as all but three teams in 2022 ran more than they passed. In 2021 every team in the league passed more than 50% of the time, in 2020 only three teams ran more, and in 2019 there were just two.
According to Next Gen Stats, Tremaine Edmunds, who was inconsistent in pass coverage during his first four years in the league, was tops in the NFL among linebackers in allowing just 4.