As the roster dominoes begin to fall, the Chicago Bears traded for an offensive lineman. And they’ve been linked to a pair of free agents. Also, the Bears made a big roster decision with Jack Sanborn, according to a post on X by Jeremy Fowler.
The #Bears are not tendering RFA linebacker Jack Sanborn, per source. Their starting Sam linebacker the past two seasons also has seven starts as an MLB, when he had 71 tackles (six for loss) and three QB hurries. He’s now set to hit free agency.
Sanborn graded out fairly well in his pass-rush performance with a mark of 70.1, according to Pro Football Focus. That ranked No. 33 among 189 linebackers. And his run-grade of 70.5 put him at No. 61.
However, Sanborn’s coverage grade of 45.1 turned out to be one of the NFL’s worst and left him at No. 150. That pulled his overall rating to No. 93 with a mark of 63.1.
Bears Jack Sanborn no longer part of the plan
The Bears seemed to like Sanborn early in the season, according to chicagobears.com.
“He’s just ready to play,” said defensive coordinator Eric Washington. “He’s a great equalizer for us. Very versatile player. Extremely intelligent. Smart. And works his tail off.”
And the third-year undrafted free agent said he felt like the game slowed down for him.
“This is my second year now doing this, so I’m kind of used to it,” Sanborn said. “I have a gauge of how the game’s going, how situation-wise what our game plan is, how we’re calling the game. It’s just when I do get out there knowing exactly what I’m supposed to do and doing it to the best of my ability and making plays when the plays are to be made.”
Furthermore, Washington said he expected Sanborn’s role to grow throughout the 2024 season.
“If we have a strong tendency from the offense that would allow us to get Jack on the field in a situation where we really believe he could help us, we’ll definitely do that,” Washington said. “He’s a person that we have a lot of confidence in. And he also backs up all three linebacker positions, even nickel. So he’s well-versed in what we’re doing in nickel. And certainly when we go base we’re excited to have him out there.”
Will Sanborn draw free-agency interest? Some team will likely scoop him up. He has value on special teams as well.
The post Bears make big Jack Sanborn roster decision appeared first on ClutchPoints.
