Edmunds says Gervon Dexter has been “locked in from day one” |
CHICAGO - Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is coming off one of his best seasons with a career-high in interceptions, his first pick-six, and the highest number of tackles he has had since his last Pro Bowl season in 2020. Edmunds also had his first fumble recovery.
Last season was a rollercoaster for the entire team, but Edmunds is looking to build off of how the Bears played last season defensively. “Last year was a good defense, even though we had a lot of ups and downs, it was a good defense. We had a lot of good guys, a lot of guys making plays, and anytime we come back to the meeting room, come off the practice field, and hold each other accountable, that’s what you want to see and that’s it’s about, just building off what we did last year, building off the things, building off the things that we can get better with (because) a lot of areas we still can grow and that’s what you love about the game,” Edmunds said. “It’s the process. It’s a journey, not a destination and we (are) taking every step of the way. We (are) putting it into our belt and using that as (the) season (comes) along.” One big difference going into this season is the increased role of defensive lineman Gervon Dexter. Dexter appeared in all 17 games last season as a rookie, although he only started one. However, going into his second season, the second-round draft pick out of Florida is expected to have a much larger role in the defense. While training camp has not started yet, Edmunds has seen Dexter’s dedication to taking on this role. “He’s been playing his tail off, just the way he’s in shape. It just shows the work he put in throughout the offseason and just his mindset. Dexter got here locked in,” Edmunds said. “He understands the role that he has and I’ve been seeing him locked in from day one … I see him watching tape all the time. I see how hard he go, chasing down stuff. It just shows his athleticism. I’m excited to see him this year.” During the first two weeks of organized team activities (OTAs), Edmunds and the rest of Chicago’s defense has given rookie quarterback Caleb Williams a run for his money. While Williams has struggled at times, typical of any rookie, Edmunds has been impressed by what he has seen and how Williams has improved during this span. “He’s competitive. As a rookie, he’s doing some things, it’s good to see and I think that’s the thing that gets me most excited and I think it gets our team most excited. Failure is nothing. If you look at it as an opportunity to come back and get better, it’s nothing. So, it’s not about whether the defense does better, the offense does better. We (are) out there competing. We’re one team,” Edmunds said. “So, it’s going to be days they might take it to us. It’s going to be days we might take it to them. But, at the end of the day, it’s one team. We (are) out there to compete. We (are) out there to get better and as long as we have that mindset and as long as everybody’s taking that into (account), I think we’ll be a good team for sure.” Coming in August, the Bears will be featured on a training camp edition of Hard Knocks. To Edmunds, this highlights the interest in Chicago and their team around the team and is an exciting opportunity for everyone to show what they are capable of. “I think it’s going to be exciting, just to get guys out there competing. It shows that we got something brewing here,” Edmunds said. “Everybody wants to see what’s going on and just being yourself out there, not doing too much. Just showing up to work and just showing the world what we’re about here and the high level execution that we have.”
