There weren’t many disappointments from the Chicago Bears’ 2025 draft class, but a big one was linebacker Rueben Hyppolite. A fourth-round pick in last year’s draft, Hyppolite appeared in more games (7) than he had tackles (6) during his rookie season and watched as the entire stable of Chicago’s linebackers pass him on the depth chart.
As the offseason has continued, Hyppolite has fallen further down the depth chart. And with this year’s draft complete, the Maryland product's days in Chicago may be numbered as he finds himself in an uphill battle just to make the roster for 2026.
Ruben Hyppolite Facing Uphill Battle to Make Bears Roster
The Bears lack of faith in Hyppolite has been apparent ever since he set foot in Chicago. While he played in the first four games, he was inactive from Week 5 to Week 10. Even when he returned, he suffered a knee injury that knocked him out of a Week 10 game against the New York Giants and injured his shoulder two weeks later in a Week 12 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Hyppolite never saw the field again, but there were some things working in his favor ahead of his sophomore campaign. D’Marco Jackson was a pending free agent and T.J. Edwards suffered a fractured fibula in the Bears’ Wild Card victory over the Green Bay Packers. Chicago also released Tremaine Edmunds ahead of the beginning of free agency and it appeared that maybe he’d be in line for a key reserve role.
Instead, the Bears got out their shovel. Jackson was retained and Devin Bush signed a three-year, $30 million contract to replace Edmunds in free agency. The Bears also brought back Jack Sanborn after a one-year stop in Dallas and Edwards recently told reporters that he feels “great” as he rehabs from his injury.
That was all before the draft but things haven’t gotten much better after Chicago took Keyshaun Elliott in the fifth round. With Noah Sewell also working his way back from a torn Achilles, Hyppolite is potentially behind five linebackers on the depth chart and possibly a sixth if Sanborn outperforms him this offseason.
Of course, this may have been something Bears fans saw coming. Hyppolite was considered a massive reach, earning a UDFA grade from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler during the pre-draft process. While he posted a 4.42 time in the 40-yard dash, he was small by NFL standards at 5-foot-11 and 234 and had a relative athletic score (RAS) of 8.22, he was more of a developmental project than most players taken in the fourth round.
In his first year, there wasn’t a lot of positive development and Hyppolite may have a hard time finding the necessary reps with all of the additions. It creates a situation where Hyppolite could be the odd man out in the linebacker room and could be looking for another team to take a chance on him after the NFL Draft.
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