Getty Noah Dawkins is headed to the Windy City.
The Chicago Bears have signed former New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Noah Dawkins, the team announced on February 22.
With backup linebackers Christian Jones, Alec Ogletree and Joel Iyiegbuniwe all hitting the open market this offseason, Chicago needed to find some capable replacements, particularly on special teams. An undrafted free agent out of The Citadel, Dawkins could provide that. He spent the first part of his rookie season on the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad in 2019 before the Bucs signed him to their active roster.
He played in 10 games for Tampa Bay that year, primarily on special teams, before landing with the Jets during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
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Dawkins: Background, Stats & Injury History
A former defensive end in high school, Dawkins switched over to linebacker heading into his sophomore season at Citadel, and the change did him good.
In four seasons with the Bulldogs, Dawkins tallied 166 total tackles (31.5 for loss), 14.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions. He was a first-team All-Southern Conference selection as a senior, when he finished with a team-high 5.5 sacks, along with 13.5 tackles for loss.
As a pro, Dawkins has three total tackles and has played only 18 defensive snaps. He has appeared in 17 total games in his three-year NFL career, most recently playing on 11% of the Jets defensive snaps last season, while also contributing on 58% of New York’s special teams snaps.
The 24-year-old linebacker has no off-the-field issues or major red flags injury-wise that could raise concern.
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Dawkins Is Known for His Speed
The 6-foot-1, 235-pound linebacker got noticed at his pro day when he ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash despite pulling a hamstring mid-sprint. The injury prevented him from participating in a full workout, but his speed left an impression.
“The first thing that’s always mentioned (with scouts) is my speed,” Dawkins told Hero Sports in April of 2019. “I have an eye for the quarterback and I’m pretty instinctive, I know where the ball’s going. With that 4.41, I pulled my left hamstring and still ran that time. The week before my Pro Day, I ran a 4.37. After I ran that time, I didn’t do the 3-cone or shuttle. I did try to do the position drills. Luckily it was a mild strain and I was back running full speed within five to six days.”
He’s small for a linebacker, but under the right coaching staff, Dawkins could potentially develop into a solid role player on defense. He’s young, athletic, and has displayed some solid pass rushing skills in college. Considering his speed coupled with his history of contributing on special teams, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Bears try to utilize Dawkins in a gunner role, which is something they’ll need moving forward. We’ll see if he can carve a role out for himself.
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