INDIANAPOLIS — The Chicago Bears will have needs — not wants — at all three levels of their defense.

It has been obvious for some time the team has heavy lifting to do in the secondary with every safety on the 2025 roster coming out of contract. And the Bears have openly discussed needing to add to the defensive line.

Linebacker is a bona fide need, too, as the team made it clear Wednesday it will be moving on from Tremaine Edmunds, who led the defense in tackles last season despite missing four games with a minor groin injury.

A league source said the Bears have granted Edmunds permission to seek a trade during the NFL scouting combine. What does that mean? Edmunds’ camp will see if another team is willing to potentially flip a late-round draft pick in exchange for Edmunds, who is signed for $15 million entering the final year of his contract with none of that money guaranteed.

If a trade can’t be brokered, the Bears are expected to release Edmunds. Either move would create $15 million in needed salary-cap savings for 2026.

Edmunds, who turns 28 in May, was a first-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2018 and signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Bears in 2023 free agency. He has played in eight NFL seasons and was at the top of his game at the start of last season. He had 89 tackles, four interceptions, nine passes defended, one sack and three quarterback hits through the first 10 games before suffering the groin injury at the end of the Week 11 victory at Minnesota.

The list of free-agent linebackers is relatively thin, but it’s a weak class for free agency overall. The Green Bay Packers’ Quay Walker and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Devin Lloyd are at the top of the linebacker market. Edmunds probably would slot into the next tier if he’s on the market, so he likely would have options.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Bears look to re-sign D’Marco Jackson, who will be an unrestricted free agent. Jackson got playing time filling in for Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, who is recovering from a broken leg.

There’s plenty of work ahead to outfit defensive coordinator Dennis Allen with a new depth chart for 2026.

“We feel a lot better about having the health of our secondary be a lot better this go-around,” coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday. “Last year, between Kyler (Gordon) and Jaylon (Johnson), we didn’t feel like we were at full strength there on the back end for the majority of the season. I think that’s going to help out.

“There’s ways we can generate more pass rush up front. That’ll help out significantly as well. It’s something we’re looking at — how do we upgrade the personnel in certain spots? There’s a number of guys that are up, contract-wise. There will be a retooling there to a degree. I know D.A. is looking forward to the opportunity to get his hands on these guys one more time and see what that looks like.”

©2026 Chicago Tribune. Visit chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.