Could Bears Jack Sanborn be a future starter? originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Since his injection as a starter on the Bears' defense in Week 9, Jack Sanborn has recorded the most solo tackles of any NFL player in the league since then.
Could he be a future starter for the Bears down the line?
Sanborn's current starting role with the Bears came after the team traded All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith to the Ravens for their second- and fifth-round picks in the upcoming NFL draft.
He claimed his hearing of the news was poignant, in the sense that he was upset about Smith leaving the team, but excited to become a starter.
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"It was kinda surreal and kinda not in the way that you would like it to go down," Sanborn said on NBC Sports Chicago's Unfiltered. "Just with the whole Roquan situation. He's such a great guy and not here anymore. I was kinda excited, anxious, and all that. But at the same time, it was like 'Dang' you have to say bye to somebody that you began to get close to over the months."
Yet, despite the roster calamity, he impressed in his first three weeks as a starter. He recorded 28 tackles and two sacks in his first three starts on the field. Sunday, against the Jets, Sanborn recorded 10 solo tackles (15 total) along with one tackle for loss.
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The undrafted rookie linebacker led the team in tackles, besting Deandre Houston-Carson by six total tackles.
He also passed the eye test, remaining a factor in most plays on the field. His ability to fly East-West is noticeable and imperative to Matt Eberflus' Cover-2 style defense.
RELATED: Sanborn reflects on his current success with Bears
It's likely next offseason, with the team's projected cap space (~ $125 million), they will search for a linebacker to replace Smith. But, it's plausible Sanborn remains in the lineup from what he's shown the organization this season.
"He's making a strong case," Lance Briggs said on NBC Sports Chicago's Football Aftershow. "For [him to tell] the coaching staff to say 'Hey, listen, I want to be a part of this team.' Going undrafted, he comes out with lunch pale and his hard hat and he works every day."
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