Chicago Bears News: Is Jack Sanborn in danger of losing his job?

As Chicago Bears minicamp wrapped up this week, fans were able to get plenty of positive takeaways from what this 2023 version of the team might look like.

Whether it’s a new attitude on defense, or the potential to take far more deep shots offensively, fans should be excited about the direction of the team.

One of the other developments this week was the fact that second-year linebacker Jack Sanborn continued to recover from an ankle injury he suffered back in December. Because of Sanborn not being at 100 percent, he was unable to practice with the team this week.

Per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, rookie Noah Sewell saw a good amount of reps with the first team defense while Sanborn continues to recover.

Does rookie Noah Sewell have a chance to steal Jack Sanborn’s job on the Chicago Bears starting defense?

We have seen stories like this, before. Some have been highly notable, while others not so much. This might not be a quarterback controversy type of storyline, but it’s definitely a notable one.

Last year, Sanborn earned his spot on the roster as an undrafted free agent. His performance during the preseason turned heads and made everyone quickly realize that his production at Wisconsin was no fluke, and he could do the same in the NFL.

But now, he could be in danger of seeing Sewell take over his spot, should the Oregon product impress throughout the offseason.

For Sanborn’s sake, hopefully he is healthy and ready to go for training camp in a month and a half or so.

In six games last year, Sanborn totaled 64 tackles with 50 of them being solo. That ratio is outstanding, and would put him on a season’s pace for nearly 180 total tackles on the season, with over 150 of them being solo.

Those numbers would be unheard of for anyone, let alone an undrafted rookie.

At the moment, Sanborn probably isn’t in too much danger. But, the longer he sits out and is unable to get on the field, the more comfortable this unit is going to get with Sewell.