Jack Sanborn is a Bear again.
The Bears announced Wednesday that they have re-signed linebacker Jack Sanborn to a one-year deal, per ESPN's Courtney Cronin. Sanborn, 25, returns to Chicago after spending the 2025 season with the Dallas Cowboys, where he started five of six games before a concussion and groin injury ended his year on injured reserve. Financial terms have not been disclosed. The signing was announced alongside the addition of defensive tackle James Lynch.
Who He Is
Sanborn is a Lake Zurich, Illinois, native who signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin in 2022 and quickly became one of the more popular players on the roster. After the Bears traded Roquan Smith midseason, Sanborn stepped in as the starting middle linebacker and never looked out of place — posting 64 tackles, five tackles for loss, and two sacks as a rookie while earning the Brian Piccolo Award and a spot on PFF's All-Rookie Team. In Week 10 against Detroit, he recorded 12 tackles and two sacks. He was the only undrafted free agent in the 2022 season to post a multi-sack game.
He started all 17 games in 2023, registering 65 tackles, seven tackles for loss, a sack, and his first career interception — a 42-yard return against the Chiefs in Week 3. His role shrank in 2024 under the same coaching staff, dropping from 412 defensive snaps to 235 with only three starts, and the Bears declined to tender him as a restricted free agent that offseason. Sanborn followed former head coach Matt Eberflus to Dallas, where Eberflus had been hired as defensive coordinator. The Cowboys stint lasted six games. He suffered a concussion in Week 5 against the Jets, returned briefly, then went on IR with a groin injury in early November. He finished with 34 tackles, one tackle for loss, and a 56.3 PFF overall grade.
Where He Fits
The linebacker room Sanborn left a year ago no longer exists. The Bears released Tremaine Edmunds as a cap casualty, then signed Devin Bush to a three-year, $30 million deal as his replacement. D'Marco Jackson was re-signed on a two-year deal. T.J. Edwards is recovering from a fractured fibula sustained in the Wild Card win over Green Bay. Noah Sewell tore his Achilles and has no clear return timeline. That's a lot of upheaval and a lot of uncertainty, and Sanborn addresses both.
He's not walking back into a starting job. Bush and Edwards, when healthy, are the top two. But Sanborn knows the building, knows the fanbase, and brings 48 games and 19 starts' worth of experience in a Bears uniform. He'll compete with Jackson, Sewell, and Ruben Hyppolite II for a roster spot and defensive snaps while contributing on special teams — an area where he's logged 15 career special teams tackles. Dennis Allen's defense is new to him, and nothing will be handed to him by a coaching staff that never worked with him before. But Sanborn has been fighting uphill since he went undrafted, and that hasn't stopped him yet.
With eight linebackers now on the roster, the Bears are unlikely to spend a draft pick at the position next month. Sanborn's return effectively closes that door and lets Poles aim Chicago's three top-60 selections at the bigger remaining needs: defensive tackle, edge rusher, and the secondary.