Tremaine Edmunds' career milestone is a reminder of how important he is to the Chicago Bears this week

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - In the 2023 offseason, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles brought in a free agent class that laid the groundwork for the future of the Bears' defense.

One of those additions was linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. He was tasked with being the featured linebacker for the Chicago Bears, a role that's historically significant within the franchise.

On Sunday against Minnesota, Edmunds will set an NFL mark as the youngest NFL player to reach 100 career games.

"That's definitely a good stat," he said. "I'm definitely going be feeling good, but I think that it'll really sit in when I'm celebrating the locker room with my teammates."

That stat means plenty for the Bears. Edmunds is the center of the defense, has plenty of experience and still has great football ahead of him at 26-years-old.

He's the centerfold of Matt Eberflus' defense which utilizes Edmunds as the 6-foot-5 middle of the Cover-2 look. That's paid off with Edmunds intercepting five passes in a season and a half with the Bears.

He's only got one interception this season so far, but that might be a result of teams throwing away from him in the middle of the field.

Instead, opposing offenses will try other outlets, which is where the Bears defense can exploit mistakes.

The best example of this was when Terell Smith intercepted Jordan Love at the goal line during last Sunday's 20-19 loss to the Packers. The Bears were in a Cover-2 defense, and Love tried to hit his player in the flat after surveying the rest of his reads.

Because Edmunds patrolled the middle, Love settled for his safety valve but the pass sailed. That's when Smith had his opportunity.

"I was about to break back down to the route he was thrown to," Smith said Sunday. "I seen the ball was kind of high, so I kind of just stayed back and wait for it to come to me."

Pick. Bears' ball. Points came off the board.

The Bears went on to lose in a heartbreaker, but the defense stymied Green Bay's offense to a point where they had a chance to win in the end. Edmunds' presence in the middle is a result of that in the passing game, but he knows more needs to improve.

Edmunds offered a starting point on Wednesday for that: fundamentals.

"Whether somebody may get out a gap, whether somebody's not fitting right, things happen, but I think that's what you practice for," Edmunds said. "You plan to be perfect in those aspects, but sometimes things don't go right. But I think that's what we come in each and every day honing down to making sure we're knowing what our job is, knowing our responsibility is doing it at a high level."

Things have happened for the Bears' defense. They're run defense has lacked this season after being one of the best in the NFL last season. They've also lost nose tackle Andrew Billings for the season. Someone needs to fill that gap, and that takes time to adjust to.

Those changes, coupled with two heartbreaking losses, are a lot for the Bears to endure.

Edmunds, even at just 26, has experience and understanding of how to go about the struggles and heartbreak the Bears have on their plate through 10 games.

"Adversity builds character for sure," Edmunds said. "You learn a lot through challenges and difficulties that you face. This is definitely a challenging time with what the team is going through, but at the same time that's what builds us closer together."

Edmunds is a player the Bears' defense revolves around. His voice is respected, and it can get even better. In fact, it needs to get better as the Bears face their second divisional opponent in as many weeks.

The Minnesota Vikings have plenty in the middle to worry about for the Bears' defense, including tight end T.J. Hockenson, running back Aaron Jones and receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

Edmunds has been a dependable defender in the passing game, but taking a step further as a run defender and pass rusher might be paramount this weekend. The experience he's had in his 100-career games will serve him well in a game the Bears need to have.

It's a big moment for Edmunds' career, but he just wants to celebrate the right way. 

"As good as that sounds, man, with a W on the board, I'll feel a whole lot better, to be honest," Edmunds said.