The Chicago Bears have made several moves at the linebacker position, which included releasing Tremaine Edmunds. They still have T.J. Edwards on the roster, but he suffered a fractured fibula in the wild-card win over the Green Bay Packers, putting his status for the start of the 2026 season up in the air.
The Bears know they need to shore up the middle of the defense, which is why they gave linebacker D’Marco Jackson a two-year, $7.5 extension, with a max value of $10.5 million per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
He was slated to hit free agency, but the Bears made sure to bring him back, and that puts a hurdle in front of Ruben Hyppolite.
Ruben Hyppolite Has Work Cut Out for Him After D’Marco Jackson Extension
Hyppolite was nabbed in the 4th round of the 2025 NFL draft but struggled to get onto the field. He logged just 31 total snaps and played in seven total games. Hyppolite dealt with knee and shoulder injuries as well, taking away opportunities to suit up when the Bears were dealing with several injuries at LB.
Going into 2026, Hyppolite will have to prove he can stay healthy on top of competing with Jackson for both defensive and special team reps. The fact that Chicago brought back Jackson shows how they view him.
Last season, Jackson was fourth among Bears linebackers in defensive snaps (371) and played in 272 special team snaps. Chicago trusted Jackson enough to start four games while suiting up in 16. In those outings, he had 43 total tackles, three pass deflections, and one interception. Although his snaps were limited, Jackson finished with an 83.8 overall grade, 60.3 run defense grade, and a 90.7 coverage grade on Pro Football Focus.
While there's still room to grow in his game, he'll likely be ahead of Hyppolite on the depth chart. There's also a good chance Chicago adds another LB to the rotation. Whether that comes in free agency or the NFL draft remains to be seen, but Hyppolite has work to do.
The coaching staff and front office still believe in him. They took him in the 4th round for a reason, but the time is now to prove that he deserves more playing time. Things won't be easy, and Jackson's extension will be something that he'll have to overcome.
The lack of starting-caliber players at the position currently works in his favor, but Jackson's extension also makes things harder for the Maryland product. And it'll be interesting to see how he responds this summer and during the 2026 campaign.