You don’t expect linebackers to win ball-hawking awards, but Tremaine Edmunds isn’t a run-of-the-mill linebacker.
And in his first year with the Chicago Bears, Edmunds earned an award from Head Coach Matt Eberflus — the coveted ballhawk Award. Last year, it went to safety Eddie Jackson. And rightfully so. This year, it goes to Edmunds:
I’m not sure how these things are given out, but I feel as if Jaylon Johnson might’ve been snubbed here. And that’s not taking anything away from Edmunds. That guy deserved this honor. Then again, Johnson dropping a few picks probably didn’t help his cause.
I didn’t expect Tremaine Edmunds to be synonymous with ball-hawking, but here we are. Edmunds came away with four interceptions in 15 games this past season. That is impressive on its own. But what gives it a little extra something is that Edmunds had four interceptions this season after having five in 74 games when he was playing for the Buffalo Bills. So to get four this year is award-winning stuff.
Let’s enjoy some Tremaine Edmunds highlights
In case you were curious, this is why (and how) a linebacker won a ballhawk award:
True ballhawks have a nose for the ball, which is something Edmunds proved in 2023.
And we’ll close on a fun fact: With his two interceptions of Jared Goff, Tremaine Edmunds accounts for 16.67 percent of the picks thrown by the Detroit Lions quarterback this season. Way to go, Tremaine.
To be honest, the Bears pouring a bunch of resources into the off-the-ball linebacker positions had me worrying about whether that was the best way to use cap space. But as the season rolled along, Edmunds and T.J. Edwards played better. And I suppose that it makes sense that players play better together the longer they play together. Here’s hoping the 2023 season was the beginning of an awesome tag team tandem at linebacker in Chicago.