After a season with the Cowboys, Jack Sanborn will return to Chicago. The Bears are bringing back the veteran linebacker, according to a team announcement.
A 19-game Bears starter from 2022-24, Sanborn migrated to Dallas after being nontendered as an RFA last year. Sanborn went down with a groin injury midway through the season, and the Cowboys did not activate him from IR. He will return to Chicago after playing out a one-year, $1.5MM Dallas deal.
Even with the Bears spending big at linebacker in 2023 — via the Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards accords — they used Sanborn as a 10-game starter. He registered a career-high 67 tackles (seven for loss) and intercepted a pass. Chicago capped Sanborn’s defensive usage at 39%, with Edmunds and Edwards in place as full-timers on the team’s defensive second level. A similar role may be in store in 2026.
Pro Football Focus has long viewed Sanborn as a mid-pack linebacker, but he did not have enough snaps to qualify as a regular in 2025. Sanborn, 25, missed 11 games last season; though, the Wisconsin alum did log a career-best 55% snap rate in his Cowboys season.
Releasing Edmunds — who landed on his feet with a $23MM Giants guarantee — the Bears still roster Edwards, and they added Devin Bush after the former first-rounder impressed under Jim Schwartz in Cleveland. The team re-signed D’Marco Jackson and rosters two of the NFL’s three Sewell brothers. Noah Sewell started nine games last season; Nephi has one career start in four NFL campaigns.
He’s not the fastest LB, but he was always a gamer.
Solid tackler too. Good special teamer. Better backup than Sewell has turned out to be.
True. But there path this off season has been about adding speed to there defense. Sanborn doesn’t fit that.
Agree. Not the fastest or one of the biggest
Linebackers but to use an old time saying
“He’s got sand”. A good depth addition.
Always liked Sanborn. As a switch for Ogbonbemiga it’s OK. Special Teamer for sure. But yeah he’s not the fastest but he’s smart and that makes up for it sometimes. It’s fine.
Idk what happened last year..He was not an instinctive lb, he missed tackles and just seemed lost. I think eberflus had him discombobulated..Even with all that I said he had very limited opportunities. Flus for some reason was in love with Murray and had Jack buried. He looked better when he was with Chicago that’s for sure.
Any comment with Eberflus and discombobulated in the same sentence is worth an up vote…lol.
Heard that. The whole Dallas defense was bad. Bears wasn’t much better but they were opportunistic. Eberlose would have made Dick Butkus look bad.
Yuck
Hyppolite II needs to step up this year.