The Chicago Bears are entering a new era as first-year head coach Ben Johnson has already left his imprint on the roster with the additions made in the Windy City via the draft, free agent signings, and trades.
One of those new additions to the Bears has already caught the eye of Johnson and the rest of the coaching staff with his performance during the team's OTAs and minicamp. Given his relatively low cost to the franchise, this player standing out throughout the offseason program is as big of a win as the front office could have asked for.
New Bears LB Ruben Hyppolite II Already Off to Great Start With Chicago
Chicago selected former University of Maryland standout Ruben Hyppolite II in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft and, despite seeing 131 players come off the board ahead of him, the linebacker has been exceeding expectations thus far.
While some players initially struggle adjusting to the difference in the speed of the game at the NFL level from what they'd grown accustomed to seeing during their collegiate careers, Hyppolite II has put his athleticism on display since being drafted and that has his head coach excited for what the future could hold for the rookie.
"He's done a great job adjusting to that speed as we've gone through, and that's going to have to show up once we do get the pads on," Johnson said, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "But I think he's been improving every single day, and really, we're hoping that course continues."-
Hyppolite was a tackling machine during his time with the Terps, racking up 236 total stops in 50 career games as a middle linebacker. Due to the team's needs, the rookie is being asked to move to weakside linebacker and has been working with the starting unit through minicamp.
With TJ Edwards still in the fold, moving Hyppolite away from the position he played throughout his college career will present growing pains, but the Bears appear confident the rookie will adapt to the new role and get the job done.