Losing Roquan Smith is tough. The guy was a two-time All-Pro for a reason. Still, the Chicago Bears don’t have the luxury of mourning his loss. Another game is on the horizon. He’s not walking back through that door. The classic saying is, “Next man up.” Somebody else will have to fill the void, even if they can’t entirely fill it. The challenging part for the coaching staff is figuring out who will face that challenge.
During his Thursday press conference, defensive coordinator Alan Williams explained that the team is experimenting with a few ideas. One is moving Nicholas Morrow from middle linebacker to weakside linebacker. He has played that position before. However, it sounds like a more plausible scenario involved the team elevating rookie Jack Sanborn into the lineup. The undrafted free agent was the MVP of the preseason, looking like an outright steal for the team. It appears Williams and Matt Eberflus are ready to give him an opportunity.
That became obvious once Smith and Robert Quinn were traded. It would’ve been easy for the coaches to lean on other veterans on the roster. Instead, they’ve opted to give valuable reps to younger players. Dominique Robinson is seeing more action on the defensive line. Now it appears Sanborn will join him. The undrafted rookie was a stud at Wisconsin. He amassed 228 tackles, 29 tackles for a loss, five sacks, three forced fumbles, and four interceptions during his time there. His size, instincts, and tackling prowess were huge strengths.
Many experts were shocked when he went undrafted. The primary reasons cited were his average athletic chops. It was felt he lacked range and quickness. That didn’t seem to bother him in the preseason. Now he’ll have a chance to show evaluators how wrong they were. If he can play good football down the stretch, the Chicago Bears might’ve scored a future starter for their defense on the cheap. It would also add another feather in the cap of GM Ryan Poles.
