The following is the seventh of nine position previews in advance of training camp.

The Bears defense is anchored by productive veteran linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards.

After joining the Bears as free agents last year, the two generated impact plays and displayed excellent ball skills. They finished 1-2 on the team in tackles and combined for seven interceptions, 14 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

The Lake Villa, Ill., native was recognized by two media outlets for his impressive performance. In selecting one player from each NFL team, NFL.com's Kevin Patra chose Edwards as the Bears' "unsung hero" and Pro Football Focus' Thomas Valentine picked Edwards as the team's "secret superstar."

Edwards signed with the Bears last year after spending his first four seasons with the Eagles. He appeared in 61 games with 47 starts for Philadelphia, recording 389 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 20 tackles-for-loss, five interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Edmunds finished second on the Bears with 114 tackles, set a career high and tied for the team lead with four interceptions, and produced five tackles-for-loss, seven pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He has now amassed at least 100 tackles in each of his six NFL seasons.

Edmunds joined the Bears after spending five years with the Bills. Selected by Buffalo with the 18th pick in the first round of the 2018 draft out of Virginia Tech, he was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2020, was named a Bills captain in 2019 and has also started eight playoff games.

The Bears' third starting linebacker is Jack Sanborn. The Lake Zurich, Ill., native has appeared in 31 games with 16 starts in two seasons since signing with the Bears as an undrafted free agent from Wisconsin, where he teamed with Edwards.

Last year Sanborn played in all 17 games with 10 starts, compiling 59 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, 1.0 sack and one interception. In addition, Sanborn ranked third on the team with six special-teams tackles.

Also returning this season is Noah Sewell, a 2023 fifth-round pick from Oregon who played in 13 games, all as a reserve, last year as a rookie, registering five tackles on defense and four on special teams.

Other linebackers who will compete for roster spots in training camp are veterans Amen Ogbongbemiga and Micah Baskerville and undrafted rookies Carl Jones Jr. and Paul Moala.

Ogbongbemiga joins the Bears after spending his first three NFL seasons with the Chargers, appearing in 47 games with two starts and recording 36 tackles, 1.0 sack, two tackles-for-loss and two fumble recoveries.

Baskerville signed with the Bears last year as an undrafted free agent from LSU. He spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad, appearing in two games and playing solely on special teams.

Jones appeared in a UCLA-record 57 games the past five seasons, registering 135 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 23.0 tackles-for-loss, one interception, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. In addition to playing linebacker, he lined up as an edge rusher and was a consistent special teams contributor.

Moala signed with the Bears in May after participating in the team's rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. He appeared in 48 games with 23 starts the past five seasons at Notre Dame (2018-21), Idaho (2022) and Georgia Tech (2023). Moala registered 60 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 7.0 tackles-for-loss and four interceptions in 12 games at Idaho in 2022 and 65 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 11.0 tackles-for-loss and three forced fumbles in 13 contests last season at Georgia Tech.