Edwards talks Bears defense, Dexter's performance this season |
CHICAGO - It was a goal for linebacker T.J. Edwards and the rest of the Chicago defense to be a top-five defense. So far, that goal has been accomplished in some respects as they are third in takeaways, second in fumble recoveries and second in passing touchdowns allowed.
However, they have allowed a lot of rushing yards. “We’ve played well, done some really good things in all facets of the game. But I think for us, we know that we can be a lot better. It’s a group that’s not complacent with anything that we do and that starts with (defensive coordinator) Coach (Eric) Washington,” Edwards said. “But, I think we know and we kind of looked at some things today, just kind of reflecting on the first couple parts of the season and what we did well and what we know we can clean up.” Edwards helped contribute to the amount of fumble recoveries the defense has this season. In Chicago’s 35-16 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars right before the bye, he had his first forced fumble of the season which was ultimately recovered by safety Elijah Hicks; it was Hicks’ first fumble recovery since 2022. As a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, Edwards grew up watching former Bears cornerback Charles ‘Peanut’ Tillman who was notorious for the Peanut Punch. Against the Jaguars, Edwards got his first true Peanut Punch which was a pretty cool moment for him. “Obviously I watched him growing up for a long time and do that numerous times,” Edwards said. “So, to do that here, I think it’s cool when a play’s named after you. You must have done it pretty well, so it’s cool for sure.” For the fourth time this season, Chicago will be facing one of the younger quarterbacks in the league on Sun. Oct. 27 (3:25 p.m. / CBS) when the Bears play the Washington Commanders who drafted rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. However, Daniels’ status is now up in the air after suffering a rib injury against the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said they are “hopeful” he will play, but also stressed that they are going to take “every precautionary step” for his health. Nonetheless, Edwards and the rest of the Bears defense is preparing to play Daniels and know that he is an incredibly talented quarterback. “Especially in the league nowadays, every quarterback is good at certain things and I think this kid provides a lot of challenges … with his legs and things like that. I think the offensive scheme is (firing) on all cylinders right now. They got really good skill, a good o-line, (three) good backs really. He’s doing a good job of facilitating all that,” Edwards said. “So, I think it’s going to be a good challenge for us, kind of a rules game with all the things they provide up front and all the gap schemes they give you, but also have the element of him keeping the ball and doing some good things in space. It’ll be good.” If Daniels cannot play, veteran Marcus Mariota will be the starting quarterback. Mariota played most of the game against Carolina, throwing for 205 passing yards and two touchdowns. So, whoever is at quarterback, Chicago’s defense will have to be playing at their best. Defensive lineman Gervon Dexter has had no problem with that this season as he has four sacks and 11 quarterback hits this year. “(Dexter)’s been awesome this year. I think he’s (come) in with a chip on his shoulder along with all those guys. But, he’s just showing his growth quickly I feel like. He’s able to rush the passer. I think in the run game, what they do of anchoring those blocks and holding those guys off so that we can run free is huge for what we do,” Edwards said. “But, I think he’s shown that he can anchor those blocks and then get off and make a play too, which is next level stuff and he’s got a great group to learn from with some of those guys and you can tell that they’re really starting to find their flow and get into their rhythm.”
