Bears Release Pro Bowl LB Tremaine Edmunds, Bengals Potential Landing Spot

The Bengals are in need of a veteran linebacker to pair with Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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The Chicago Bears have released Pro Bowl linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, making him a free agent just days before the start of the new NFL league year. The Cincinnati Bengals, who are looking to upgrade their linebacker corps, could be a potential landing spot for the 8-year veteran.

Why it matters

The Bengals have identified linebacker as a position of need this offseason, and Edmunds would provide them with a proven, versatile player to pair with their young duo of Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter. Edmunds has been a consistent producer, topping 100 tackles in each of his 8 NFL seasons.

The details

Edmunds was released by the Bears, who cleared $15 million in cap space by doing so. The 25-year-old linebacker had 112 tackles, 4 interceptions and 1 sack for Chicago last season. He has been a full-time starter since entering the league in 2018 and has accumulated over 900 tackles in his career.

  • The Bears released Tremaine Edmunds on March 6, 2026.

The players

Tremaine Edmunds

A Pro Bowl linebacker who was released by the Chicago Bears after 8 seasons with the team.

Demetrius Knight Jr.

A young linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals who could potentially be paired with Tremaine Edmunds.

Barrett Carter

Another young linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals who could benefit from the addition of a veteran like Tremaine Edmunds.

Al Golden

The defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, who has stated the team's need to improve and add depth at the linebacker position.

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What they’re saying

“We've gotta get better. We've gotta get deeper. Obviously having somebody with a combo presence. I would prefer not to ask Demetrius to play on the line of scrimmage as much as we did. There will be times when he does do that. But I would prefer to add another piece and have that veteran wisdom and all those things.”

— Al Golden, Bengals Defensive Coordinator (SI.com)

What’s next

The Bengals will likely explore signing Tremaine Edmunds in free agency, which begins on March 15, 2026.

The takeaway

The release of Tremaine Edmunds presents the Bengals with an opportunity to add a proven, veteran linebacker to their defense and pair him with their young duo of Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter. This move could significantly upgrade the Bengals' linebacker corps ahead of the 2026 season.