Just a few short years ago, the Chicago Bears scooped up one of college football's best all-around linebackers, who just so happened to go undrafted. Jack Sanborn had finished a stellar career at the University of Wisconsin and found himself in an organization that treated great linebackers like royalty.
It was his chance to make a lasting impression, and from his first few snaps in the preseason, that's exactly what he did. Bears fans immediately grew to love Sanborn for being the archetype who could do anything and everything asked of a linebacker.
Now, after a season in Dallas, he's back in Chicago. The only problem is that Sanborn could already be buried on this depth chart, and the odds of him making the final roster do not look promising.
Jack Sanborn's second stint with the Bears might not end the way he had hoped
When Sanborn first arrived in Chicago, he put it all on display. His very first preseason game was against the Kansas City Chiefs, where he recorded a fumble recovery and an interception, along with a few tackles.
Right away, he looked like a player who was always sniffing around for the ball and, more often than not, wound up near it at the end of a play.
Following a season-ending groin injury with the Cowboys last year, Sanborn hit free agency this past spring and ended up back in Chicago, giving Bears fans a little taste of the energy they once felt for the former Badger.
When the Bears signed Sanborn to come back to Chicago back in March, however, he'd be joining a pretty crowded room.
The Bears brought in Devin Bush to replace Tremaine Edmunds, bringing more speed to the inside linebacker position. Bush, alongside T.J. Edwards, would create a formidable starting duo. Beyond Bush and Edwards, though, the Bears had previously invested into the position even further.
Chicago still has 2023 fifth-round pick, Noah Sewell, who has shown to be a valuable depth linebacker. Then, they drafted Ruben Hyppolite in the fourth round in 2025. But, that still wasn't it.
Five weeks after signing Sanborn, the Bears drafted linebacker Keyshaun Elliott in the fifth round.
Add in the surprise performances of D'Marco Jackson last year, and the Bears indeed have a crowded linebacker room. Jackson re-signed with the Bears on a two-year deal this offseason, ensuring he's not going anywhere.
For those keeping track at home, that's Bush, Edwards, Jackson, Sewell, Hyppolite, and Elliott who all have a case to be made of currently sitting higher than Sanborn on the depth chart.
Sanborn's best chances of making this roster are if he can surpass Sewell or Hyppolite in camp, but the most recent draft pick, Elliott, certainly isn't going anywhere after the Bears invested in him just weeks ago.
Read more: Bears roster won't have room to keep a former Vikings draft pick
He is a guy Bears fans will always have a special place for, but Sanborn's chances at making this roster currently do not look to be high.
Add us as a preferred source on Google