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T. J. Edwards

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T. J. Edwards
refer to caption
Edwards with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021
No. 53 – Chicago Bears
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1996-08-12) August 12, 1996 (age 28)
Lake Villa, Illinois, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school:Lakes Community (Lake Villa, Illinois)
College:Wisconsin (2014–2018)
Undrafted:2019
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 3, 2024
Total tackles:569
Sacks:7.5
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:5
Pass deflections:20
Interceptions:5
Stats at Pro Football Reference

T. J. Edwards (born August 12, 1996) is an American professional football linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wisconsin.

Early life

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Edwards played quarterback at Lakes Community High School in Lake Villa, Illinois. His senior year, he also played three games at Safety. In his three games on defense, he posted 20 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 sacks and an interception.[1]

Despite playing quarterback in high school he recruited for college football as a defensive player. Edwards was originally committed to Western Michigan. However, in early December 2013 Edwards flipped his commitment to Wisconsin after being recruited by Wisconsin's defensive coordinator Dave Aranda.[2]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
T.J. Edwards
LB 		Lake Villa, IL Lakes Community 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 215 lb (98 kg) - Dec 2, 2013 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars    ESPN:2/5 stars   ESPN grade: 68
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 46   Rivals: NR
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Wisconsin Football Commitment List 2014". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  • "Wisconsin Football Recruiting Commits 2014". Scout.com. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  • "Wisconsin Badgers Commits 2014". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  • "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  • "247sports.com 2014 Wisconsin Football Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved January 11, 2016.

College career

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Edwards attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he played inside linebacker for the Wisconsin Badgers football team.

2014

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Edwards redshirted his freshman year.[3] At the end of the season the team was preparing to play against Auburn in the Outback Bowl. The younger players on the team received extra reps and UW's defensive coordinator Dave Aranda praised Edwards, saying "He was the MVP of that period, in my opinion."[4]

2015

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With 2014 starting inside linebackers Marcus Trotter and Derek Landisch graduating and needing to be replaced Edwards was thrown in the mix to become a starter. After spring practice Edwards had earned the starting role alongside Leon Jacobs.[5]

In his redshirt freshman year Edwards started all 13 games.[6] In the season opener Edwards tallied 12 tackles against Alabama. The next three games however he only recorded ten tackles. October 19 Edwards was named Big Ten freshman of the week for his performance against Purdue where he had 16 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and one forced fumble.[7]

For the season Edwards led the team in tackles, recording 84, 6.5 tackles-for-loss and one forced fumble.[8] At the end of the season Edwards was named to the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-American team.[9] He was also named honorable mention All-Big Ten by the coaches.[10]

College statistics

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Season Team Games Tackles Int & Fum
GP GS Solo Ast Cmb TfL Yds Sck Int PD FF FR
2014 Wisconsin 0 0 Redshirted
2015 Wisconsin 13 13 41 43 84 6.5 11 0.0 0 4 1 0
2016 Wisconsin 13 12 48 41 89 8.5 34 3.0 3 5 1 0
2017 Wisconsin 14 14 53 28 81 11 32 2.0 4 11 0 0
2018 Wisconsin 13 13 73 40 113 11.5 33 3.0 3 5 0 1
Career 53 52 215 152 367 37.5 110 8.0 10 25 2 1

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0+3⁄8 in
(1.84 m) 		230 lb
(104 kg) 		31+1⁄4 in
(0.79 m) 		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 4.87 s 1.74 s 2.75 s 4.28 s 7.06 s 32.5 in
(0.83 m)		 9 ft 4 in
(2.84 m)		 16 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[11][12]

Philadelphia Eagles

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After going undrafted in the 2019 NFL draft, Edwards signed with the Philadelphia Eagles on May 9, 2019.[13] After making the Eagles final roster to begin 2019, he played in all 16 games with four starts.

On October 8, 2020, Edwards was placed on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 4.[14] He was activated on October 31, 2020.[15] In Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, Edwards recorded a team high 13 tackles and recorded a strip sack on quarterback Ben DiNucci which was recovered and returned by teammate Rodney McLeod for a 53 yard touchdown during the 23–9 win.[16] In Week 17 against the Washington Football Team on Sunday Night Football, Edwards recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Alex Smith during the 20–14 loss.[17]

During a Week 5 game against the Carolina Panthers on October 10, 2021, Edwards made a crucial play when he blocked a punt as the Eagles were down 18-13 in the fourth quarter. The Eagles would go on to win the game, 21-18. Edwards was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.[18]

Following a strong performance in their Week 11 game against the New Orleans Saints, in which Edwards recorded both an interception and a fumble recovery, the Philadelphia Eagles and Edwards agreed to a one-year extension worth $3.2 million.[19]

In 2022, Edwards helped the Eagles reach Super Bowl LVII where they lost 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs. In the Super Bowl, Edwards had six tackles and one pass defended.[20]

Chicago Bears

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On March 15, 2023, Edwards signed a three-year, $19.5 million contract with his hometown team, the Chicago Bears.[21] In his Bears debut on September 10 against the Green Bay Packers, Edwards led the team with 14 tackles in the 38–20 loss. Edwards got his first interception as a Bear in Week 11 against the Detroit Lions when he picked off Jared Goff in the 31–26 loss.

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck FF FR Yds TD Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD
2019 PHI 16 4 30 15 15 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2020 PHI 12 12 70 37 33 2.0 2 0 0 0 1 13 13.0 13 0 1
2021 PHI 16 14 130 64 66 1.0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1.0 1 0 5
2022 PHI 17 17 159 99 60 2.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 7
2023 CHI 17 17 155 91 64 2.5 1 2 0 0 3 2 1.0 2 0 7
Career 78 64 544 306 238 7.5 3 4 0 0 5 18 4.0 13 0 20

Personal life

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Edwards is a Christian.[22] He got engaged to Kelly Jo.[23] They got married in 2023.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "Football - Wisconsin Athletics". Uwbadgers.com. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  2. ^ "Lakes grad T.J. Edwards getting first-team LB snaps with Badgers - Lake County News-Sun". Chicagotribune.com. April 14, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  3. ^ Bonato, Jeff (April 14, 2015). "Lakes grad T.J. Edwards getting first-team LB snaps with Badgers". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  4. ^ "Badgers football: Redshirt freshman T.J. Edwards embraces switch to linebacker | College football". host.madison.com. August 11, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  5. ^ Temple, Jesse (May 4, 2015). "Athletic LB T.J. Edwards transitioning into 'natural' position for Wisconsin Badgers". FOX Sports. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  6. ^ "Football - Wisconsin Athletics - T.J. Edwards named Freshman All-American". Uwbadgers.com. January 11, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  7. ^ "Big Ten Football Players of the Week Big Ten Conference Official Site". Bigten.org. Archived from the original on October 21, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  8. ^ "2015 Wisconsin Badgers Tackles". cfbstats.com. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  9. ^ "Badgers football: Wisconsin linebacker T.J. Edwards named FWAA Freshman All-American | College football". host.madison.com. January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  10. ^ "View 2015 All-Big Ten Defensive Team & individual award winners « Big Ten Network". Btn.com. November 30, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  11. ^ "T.J. Edwards Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  12. ^ "T.J. Edwards, Wisconsin, ILB, 2019 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  13. ^ McPherson, Chris (May 9, 2019). "Eagles sign entire 2019 draft class and 10 undrafted free agents". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  14. ^ McPherson, Chris (October 8, 2020). "Eagles sign LB Dante Olson to the practice squad; place LB T.J. Edwards and S Rudy Ford on Injured Reserve". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  15. ^ McPherson, Chris (October 31, 2020). "Roster Moves: Eagles activate LB T.J. Edwards, S Rudy Ford, TE Dallas Goedert, T Jason Peters, and WR Jalen Reagor from Injured Reserve". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  16. ^ "Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles - November 1st, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  17. ^ "Washington Football Team at Philadelphia Eagles - January 3rd, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  18. ^ "T.J. Edwards is the NFC special teams player of the week". October 13, 2021.
  19. ^ Bowman, Paul (November 22, 2021). "TJ Edwards Signs Extension". SportsTalkPhilly.com. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  20. ^ "Super Bowl LVII - Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 12th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  21. ^ Hajduk, Gabby (March 15, 2023). "Roster Move: Bears agree to terms with LB T.J. Edwards". Chicago Bears. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  22. ^ Mercer, Kevin (February 10, 2023). "T.J. Edwards after breakout year helps Eagles to Super Bowl: 'Everything I do is for Him'". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  23. ^ Aldecoa, Kayla (February 5, 2023). "Meet the Super Bowl LVII Wives and Girlfriends: Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs WAGs". Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  24. ^ "Instagram".
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