Chicago Bears 20 Most Important Players: #18 Jack Sanborn

We continue our series profiling the 20 most important Chicago Bears players in 2023. At number 18 is linebacker Jack Sanborn.

Chicago Bears training camp is about a month away. As we inch closer to that event, we have a series profiling the 20 most important players in 2023. You can look at the first two, #20 Roschon Johnson and #19 Cairo Santos, here.

At #18 we have linebacker Jack Sanborn. Sanborn was an undrafted rookie. He attended Wisconsin but came from Lake Zurich. As a result, he signed with the Bears as soon as they came calling.

Sanborn burst onto the scene at last year’s training camp. He opened a lot of eyes at camp with his hard-nosed play and constantly finding his way to the ball.

Sanborn’s good play continued into the preseason. He always seemed to make a key play, forcing a turnover.

Of course, since he was an undrafted rookie, he usually played with much lesser talent. He moved his way up to the backups and when his play continued to improve, he earned a spot on the roster.

The Bears had a contract dispute with Roquan Smith and he requested a trade. Of course, as good as Smith was, the Bears did not want to just let him go. However, it appeared as if Smith did not want to be in Chicago anymore. With Sanborn still playing well, the Bears felt comfortable trading Smith and having Sanborn start.

Now running with the starters, Sanborn’s play did not falter. In the six games that Sanborn started after the Smith trade, he recorded 59 tackles (5 for loss), 3 quarterback hits, 2 sacks, and a fumble recovery.

Sanborn suddenly went from a guy trying to make the roster to become a dependable starter.

Just as sudden, though, his season ended. He suffered an ankle injury that required him to go on injured reserve. Just as he was riding high it was all over.

The Bears overhauled the linebackers unit. Now Sanborn cannot play the middle linebacker. He could, however, start at the strong-side linebacker spot.

The Bears currently have TJ Edwards penciled in at weakside linebacker and Tremaine Edmunds in the middle. These two players were two of the highest-rated linebackers in the NFL last season. Now they are together in Chicago.

If Sanborn can earn a starting job on the strong side and continue to play well, it will make the Bears’ linebackers corps one of the best in the league. Pro Football Focus already has them ranked second in the league just with Edwards and Edmunds. Imagine how much better they’ll be with Sanborn also playing well.

With Sanborn, the Bears have three high-motor linebackers who can make plays. With Edwards and Edmunds being top-ten linebackers, however, Sanborn might see offenses targeting him more. If they can’t find a way to beat the other two, they will certainly look at Sanborn and have him prove that he can also make plays.

First things first, though. Sanborn might have a battle for the starting job. The Bears drafted Noah Sewell in the fifth round. With Sewell’s skills, it could be a steal for Chicago. He will push Sanborn to start.

While Sewell could eventually start for the Chicago Bears, it might not be this season. Despite not practicing during the offseason while he still rehabs his ankle. That gave Sewell a lot of valuable reps. Even so, head coach Matt Eberflus still views Sanborn as the starter.

Jack is a very instinctual player, plays multiple positions for us. But Jack will be the starter there going into it (training camp) and then we’ll see what Noah can do to press him.

While Sewell got the advantage of getting reps with the starters early on, Sanborn already knows the system. While he has to adjust to the strongside after playing middle linebacker last season, he understands the system. He knows what the coaches want. When training camp begins, he will have the real advantage of getting reps with the starters.

If Sanborn continues his good play, the sky it will be a big boost for the Chicago Bears defense.