Final injury reports for Monday night's game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears will come later on Saturday. Ahead of that official status declaration for injured players, Bears head coach Ben Johnson had an update on a key defensive player.
Ben Johnson says linebacker T.J. Edwards is doubtful to play Monday and confirms rookie Ruben Hyppolite will see the field on defense. #Bears
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) September 6, 2025
Edwards did not practice on Friday due to a hamstring issue, and he was listed as a non-participant on Thursday's estimated practice report. So he has definitely been trending toward not playing on Monday night.
Johnson said Edwards will be officially listed as doubtful, but a late downgrade is possible. If that late downgrade doesn't happen, the next hurdle to being active Monday night will be testing out his hamstring in pre-game warmups.
#Bears coach Ben Johnson said LB T.J. Edwards (hamstring) will be listed as doubtful for Monday night's opener vs Minnesota.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) September 6, 2025
T.J. Edwards' likely absence is great news for the Minnesota Vikings' offense
If Edwards misses Monday night's game, which is far more likely than not based on his being declared doubtful, the Bears will likely turn to rookie linebacker Ruben Hyppolite to start in his place next to Tremaine Edmunds. While Hyppolite stood out during offseason work and may prove to be up to the task, he'd still be a rookie starting his first-ever game on a primetime stage.
Behind Edwards and Hyppolite on the linebacker depth chart, the Bears have Noah Sewell and recent waiver wire pickup D'Marco Jackson.
Surely due in some part to the struggles of the Bears' run defense last season, Edwards' overall Pro Football Focus grade fell outside the top-20 among off-ball linebackers for the first time in a season where he's had enough snaps to qualify. But he was still the team's second-leading tackler with 129 total tackles (one behind team leader Kevin Byard), and he had a team-high 12 tackles for loss.
Edwards also rarely leaves the field, with no missed games over two seasons as a Bear and at least a 97 percent defensive snap share in each campaign.
The Vikings' offseason effort to have a more balanced offense, or at least have a more functional and efficient ground game around quarterback J.J. McCarthy, is very well-documented at this point. Time will tell what it looks like in games that count, and Week 1 will obviously be the first glimpse we get.
To put it plainly, Edwards is one of the Bears' best defensive players. With him likely out, or severely limited if he happens to defy his game status and suit up, the Vikings' offense will have a far easier time doing things on its terms in the season opener. And that, of course, is an ideal scenario for McCarthy's first career start.