CHICAGO – The Bears have activated interior linebacker Tremaine Edmunds off injured reserve in time for him to play against the Green Bay Packers, the team announced prior to Saturday night’s kickoff at Soldier Field.

Edmunds was placed on IR on Nov. 22, after he suffered a groin injury during a Week 11 win at Minnesota. He wasn’t pulled from that game, but the injury kept him out of action from that point.

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Edmunds had to be out at least four games, and he was designated to return right after meeting that mandate. His 21-day practice window formally opened Monday, and he was limited Wednesday and a full participant Thursday, suggesting his return might be imminent. That’s why this news isn’t a shock.

It’s uncertain how much Edmunds will play, as the Bears typically have returning every-down players on snap counts as they work back to full action. Having Edmunds back for any stretch would be welcome, though, considering how well he played before the injury.

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“He was playing tremendous football before the injury,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said Thursday. “He’s a huge asset in coverage, just because of how long he is, it’s hard to get the ball around him when we’re playing zones, and I think he’s really good in our match and mans, where he can match up on tight ends and running backs out of the backfield and do a really good job there. Josh Jacobs is one heck of a pass catcher. He probably doesn’t get enough credit for that part of his game. That’s something that we need to do a good job taking care of. Tremaine could potentially really help us in that regard.”

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Edmunds missed Chicago’s Week 14 loss at Green Bay, and he could help in the Week 16 rematch.

D’Marco Jackson has remained at middle linebacker, with T.J. Edwards operating on the weak side. We could see Edwards take the green-dot helmet and call plays, alternating between interior linebacker positions, assuming Edmunds comes in and out. Edmunds has played middle linebacker with Edwards on the field. They form at terrific tandem and should pick right up where they left off.

Edmunds’ stat line this season includes 89 tackles, four interceptions, nine passes defended, one sack and three quarterback hits over 10 games.