No matter what Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards did or didn’t hear, it sure seems like he listened in as his former teammate, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, called a play before the snap, recognized the call, and helped seal a 27-7 win with an interception at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Edwards had seemingly done the same thing just a few plays earlier.
“Looks like Bears LB T.J. Edwards listened in as Jalen Hurts gave the play call in the huddle — and then intercepted Hurts on that very play,” The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov wrote on his official X account on Monday night.
“And that’ll likely do it for the Eagles tonight,” Philly Special’s Anthony DiBona wrote on his official X account on Monday night. “Bears LB T.J. Edwards tricked Jalen Hurts again. But this time Edwards holds on for the pick.”
“THIS IS CRAZY,” ML Football wrote on its official X account. “Bears LB T.J. Edwards literally joined the Eagles HUDDLE, listened to their play call, backed away a couple yards… AND THEN INTERCEPTED THEM ON THAT VERY PLAY. Absolutely insane—Edwards used to play for Philadelphia. WOW. WOW.”
T.J. Edwards Denied Using Trickery on INT
Following the game, Edwards denied using any trickery or listening in on Hurts’ play call.
“No,” Edwards told The Athletic’s Kevin Fishback when asked if he heard Hurts make the play call. “I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll hear some familiar stuff,’ and like they must have changed language up because I had no idea what they were talking about.”
The loss dropped the Eagles to 2-1 and improved the Bears to 2-1.
Eagles Gave Edwards Chance After Going Undrafted
Edwards, 6-foot and 228 pounds, broke into the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2019 after becoming an All-American and 2-time All-Big Ten selection at the University of Wisconsin.
He made the Eagles’ 53-man roster in his 1st training camp as the primary backup at inside linebacker, played in all 16 regular-season games, and made 4 starts as a rookie, then became the full-time starter in his 2nd season in 2020.
In 2021, Edwards had 130 tackles; in 2022, he recorded a career-high 159 tackles as he helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance. He signed a 3-year, $19.5 million free-agent contract with the Bears before the 2023 season and re-upped with a 2-year, $20 million contract extension before the 2025 season.
Ex-Eagles LB May Have ‘Tricked’ QB Jalen Hurts on Interception