Getty The Bears signed linebacker Elijah Lee off the Chiefs' practice squad on December 20.
The Chicago Bears have placed rookie middle linebacker Jack Sanborn on season-ending injured reserve and are digging into the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad to get some additional reinforcements at the position.
According to the NFL transaction wire for Tuesday, December 20, the Bears placed Sanborn — a standout UDFA starter — on injured reserve after he injured his ankle in Week 15’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. They also signed sixth-year linebacker Elijah Lee from the Chiefs’ practice squad to their 53-man roster to take his spot.
Lee has been a bit of a journeyman in the league since the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL draft, playing for four teams over his first six seasons. He does, however, have 71 games of playing experience and should provide an element of depth behind veteran Joe Thomas, who will presumably take Sanborn’s place in the starting lineup for the final three games of the 2022 season.
The Bears also officially activated running back Khalil Herbert from IR and signed a pair of outside linebackers — Kuony Deng and Terrell Lewis — to their practice squad, waiving defensive back Justin Layne to clear space on the 14-man roster.
Injury Cuts Short Sanborn’s Impressive Rookie Campaign
Losing Sanborn to a season-ending injury is a tough blow for a Bears team that is looking to close out its 3-11 campaign with a strong finish. The undrafted rookie took the reins from All-Pro Roquan Smith after he was traded to Baltimore on November 1 and had done an admirable job holding down the middle of the Bears’ defense, collecting 57 total tackles, five tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and a called-back interception (due to a questionable penalty) over his first six NFL starters.
The good news for the Bears is that Sanborn is signed to an ultra-affordable UDFA contract for the next two seasons and will certainly be a piece of the puzzle as they overhaul the roster during the 2023 offseason. Still, it would have been helpful to see if Sanborn could maintain his current level of play over the final three games of 2022 against some quality offenses, including the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings.
According to Pro Football Focus, Sanborn is the second-highest-graded rookie linebacker in the NFL among those who have played at least 20% of snaps. He also has the third most tackles behind Green Bay’s Quay Walker (76) and Jacksonville’s Devin Lloyd (72) despite playing less than half as many snaps as either first-round pick.
Now, the Bears will have to reroute their focus to Thomas, an eight-season veteran who has played at all three linebacker spots for Chicago throughout the year. He has brought considerably less production than Sanborn to the Bears defense over his 11 games of action, but there is a small window of opportunity for him to play himself into another short-term deal with Chicago for 2023 if he can finish strong at the MIKE.
Bears Stashing 2020 Third-Rounder for Future?
Practice-squad transactions can sometimes get overlooked, especially for a team that has been eliminated from the playoffs for weeks, but Lewis — a former Alabama standout and a third-round draft pick — could warrant a closer look.
The Los Angeles Rams took a chance on Lewis in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft despite him coming out of Alabama with some injury concerns. The problem was that the injuries didn’t cease once he reached the NFL, and even when he was on the field, his production over about three full seasons was minimal (six tackles and 10 QB hits). The Rams finally decided to part ways with him last week, but the Bears now have a chance to see if they can tap into his deeper potential as a pass rusher.
At this point, the Bears are desperate for anyone who can apply consistent pressure to opposing quarterbacks. They have the fewest number of sacks (17) in the league with rookie strong safety Jaquan Brisker currently leading the team with three sacks. While it is great that Brisker can be used in such a manner, it doesn’t speak too highly of the guys on the defensive line who struggle to get much meaningful production.
The Bears would have to use a practice-squad elevation on Lewis to get him on the field during their final three games, but they might be more interested in keeping him around until 2023 to see if he can push for a roster spot in next summer’s camp.