Bear Digest

Bears arrive at key decision on restricted free agent defender

The start of free agency means restricted free agents need tender offers or they become unrestricted and the Bears made a decision freeing up one veteran.

Gene Chamberlain

Bears linebacker Jack Sanborn attempts to make a tackle on Jahmyr Gibbs.
Bears linebacker Jack Sanborn attempts to make a tackle on Jahmyr Gibbs. / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
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Linebacker Jack Sanborn's Bears future could be over after the team decided not to tender him an offer as a restricted free agent.

Sanborn was an undrafted player and so the tender offer for retaining him was $3.45 million for this year. It seemed unlikely from the time the tender offer figures came out that the Bears wouldn't be giving him an offer because the rates were too high for the role he had with the team. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported he won't receive that minimum tender offer.

Although Sanborn won't be tendered, it doesn't necessarily mean they  have to lose him or that they don't want him on the roster. They just don't want to commit the $3.45 million to a player who only was on the field on defense for 22% of the defensive plays (235).

He could return at a lower rate than the tender rate, but if that was the case then it seems likely they just would have simply signed him at that rate rather than let him become an unrestricted free agent like he will be now. He'll be able to explore unrestricted free agency and find a better offer.

Sanborn said his good-bye to Bears fans and thanked them, anticipating his time is over. The Bears have done this with restricted free agents before and then signed them back at a lower rate but it wouldn't be likely here as they have had a coaching and scheme change.

Sanborn plays strongside linebacker and the nickel cornerback is on the field more of the time than the strongside linebacker. Gordon was on the field for 725 plays last year.

A team using a strongside linebacker on more plays might want to pay him more but there aren't many teams trending that way in the league.

Sanborn has 164 Bears tackles in three seasons, but only 35 last year. He has an interception and five pass breakups. He's largely been an effort player and special teams contributor who also served as a backup to both middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and weakside linebacker T.J. Edwards but he was probably not a fit to be a starter at either position in the Dennis Allen defensive scheme.

Allen tends to use the base defense with a strongside backer even less than the Bears did as he relies more on man-to-man coverage.

The Bears can now add strongside linebacker to their wish list for free agency and/or the draft because their only other linebackers on the roster besides the two starters are Swayze Bozeman, Carl Jones Jr. and Noah Sewell. Between those players, they have been on the field for 39 defensive plays in the NFL.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.