The Chicago Bears have brought back a fan-favorite veteran defender in a series of roster moves that also included a pair of injured-reserve placements.
According to the team’s official transaction wire, the Bears re-signed veteran linebacker Jack Sanborn to their 53-man roster on Tuesday after releasing him during the league-wide roster cutdown just two days earlier.
The Bears kept only four linebackers — Devin Bush, T.J. Edwards, D’Marco Jackson and rookie Keyshaun Elliott — on their initial active roster for the 2026 season, suggesting they had plans to bring someone back once they moved a few more players to IR.
Ultimately, the fifth spot went to Sanborn, who recorded 164 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks over 48 games for the Bears over his first three seasons in the league.
Jack Sanborn Returns to Chicago as Hometown Hero
Sanborn is one of the brightest hometown success stories of general manager Ryan Poles’ tenure. The Lake Zurich, Illinois, native signed with the Bears as an undrafted rookie in 2022 and made the active roster against the odds, later making six starts at middle linebacker after Chicago traded away All-Pro Roquan Smith to Baltimore.
While Sanborn made 17 starts and played in every game over his next two seasons, the Bears did not tender him as a restricted free agent in 2025 after a coaching turnover. He wound up following fired former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus to the Dallas Cowboys and earning a starting role for them before a groin injury ended his season.
When Sanborn became a free agent again in March, the Bears quickly re-signed him as part of a flurry of linebacker moves that included extending Jackson on a two-year deal and signing Bush to a three-year deal and releasing 2025 starter Tremaine Edmunds.
What made things challenging for Sanborn, though, was that the Bears only seemed to have one spot open in their linebacker room between their three clear-cut veteran contributors and their fifth-round rookie draft pick (Elliott). Fortunately for him, he had extra opportunities to impress with Elliott spending several weeks on the PUP list.
In the end, Sanborn capitalized on his slim chance once again.
Bears Also Placed 2 Players on IR in Corresponding Moves
The Bears made more changes to their roster on Tuesday than just re-signing Sanborn.
Chicago also brought back defensive tackle James Lynch after releasing him during roster cuts. To clear the space for him and Sanborn, the Bears also placed starting free safety Coby Bryant and tight end Hayden Large on the injured reserve list, having delayed the moves until after the cutdown to avoid the need for return designations.
Bryant hyperextended his knee and sustained bone damage in practice early in camp and is in danger of missing the entire 2026 season after undergoing surgery. Even still, the Bears carried him onto the 53-man roster and then moved him to IR in hopes that he might be able to return in several months, maybe even in time for a playoff run.
Large may not miss as much time, but the same logic applies: They waited to place him on IR so that they could keep their options open and give him the chance of potentially returning to the roster at some point during the regular season.
Bears Bring Back Fan-Favorite Defender After Placing Starter on IR