Despite outside noise that he may be gearing up for a battle to keep his job this summer, Jack Sanborn still believes he’s the Bears’ starting strongside linebacker.
“Yeah, I expect to be out there and I think that's going to be a good time,” Sanborn said.
Sanborn is still ramping up from an ankle injury he suffered last season and hasn’t been able to participate in any team drills yet. Through two days of practice Sanborn has been limited to individual drills. But he doesn’t see that as a big detractor.
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“I think right now, especially this early in camp, it's all about everyone getting down what they're supposed to do and continue to just get better and understand the assignment. Understand the plays.”
Despite a position change to strongside linebacker, Sanborn’s confident he knows his assignments and would know how to act if he was on the field.
Sanborn was the Cinderella story of the Bears 2022 season. He started the year as an undrafted free agent, earned a roster spot with an impressive training camp, began earning snaps on defense in Week 8, then took over as the team’s starting middle linebacker after Ryan Poles sent Roquan Smith to the Ravens. In Week 10, Sanborn led the team in tackles for the first time. It was a quick and impressive ascension.
The team isn’t going to hand Sanborn a starting job again, however. Tremaine Edmunds was the marquee free agent signing of the offseason, and he’ll take over middle linebacker. Fellow free agent signee T.J. Walker will be the weakside linebacker. Earlier in the year the assumption was Sanborn would take over as the team’s strongside linebacker, but combine the Bears drafting Noah Sewell in the fifth round with Sanborn being unable to practice over OTAs and minicamp due to injury and things have started to look murkier.
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The Bears love how Sewell hits the ball carrier, and he flashed some speed and instincts during the early summer portion of the offseason program. Sewell’s taken the starting strongside reps with Sanborn sidelined. If Sewell can continue to impress at camp and sprinkle in a few takeaways it seems reasonable he can displace Sanborn in the lineup.
But Sanborn isn’t going there two days into training camp.
“I'm in a good mental space. I like where I'm at. I'm just going to continue to be me, continue to go out there and play the best ball I know that I can play.”