Bears Bid Farewell to Mario Edwards Jr.

According to a Pro Football Talk report, the Bears have decided to part ways with veteran pass rusher Mario Edwards Jr., another holdover from the Ryan Pace era.

Another Bears player from the Ryan Pace era has been told they're no longer needed at Halas Hall.

Defensive end/tackle Mario Edwards Jr. is a part of Bears cuts according to Pro Football Talk. Edwards had been with the Bears two years and after one season the Bears were pleased enough to give him a three-year, $11.6 million contract extension.

The Bears made about $1 million in cap space but cutting Edward. They took a cap hit of $1.6 million but saved $2.6 million by ridding themselves of the salary.

Edwards had been a situation pass rusher from the tackle position this year, as a three technique. In the past when they played a 3-4, he was listed at end but played tackle when they were in four-man pass rush.

Edwards made a bit of an impact with six sacks, 25 tackles, seven for loss and 12 quarterback hits in Chicago for two season.

However, he had only practiced on occasion in camp and the coaching staff has been emphasizing the effort they want to see from players. The Bears would not reveal what they deemed minor injuries in training camp, so it's possible he had some hamstring or soft tissue injuries at some point.

The Bears have Justin Jones at three technique and have been experimenting with moving Trevis Gipson from end to defensive tackle in passing situations while using Al-Quadin Muhammad at left end. They also have other defensive tackle/end options, like Angelo Blackson and Mike Pennel.

Edwards had also played for the Saints, Giants and Raiders and with the Bears had a knack for drawing penalties of the unsportsmanlike nature. The team had 19 unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct or roughing the passer penalties last year and Edwards had four of those as a reserve.

Edwards missed four games in two seasons with ribs and hip injuries and was suspended the first two games last year due to a violation of the league's performance enhancing drug rules.

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