Sanborn made Bears with hard work, help from Roquan and Morrow

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LAKE FOREST – Following the Bears’ preseason finale against the Cleveland Browns, undrafted rookie Jack Sanborn didn’t know how he’d handle the nerve-wracking 48 hours that were to come. The purgatory between what could be his last game in a Bears uniform and cut-down day.

Tuesday came, and Sanborn, a Lake Zurich native who grew up rooting for the Bears, remains on the 53-man roster. His NFL dreams are very much alive.

“It was my first time ever going through this, so I was like everyone else, I didn’t know what to expect and didn’t know how it was going to go,” Sanborn said Tuesday after practice. “It’s tough to see any guys leave but I’m happy I’m here. I think everybody else is too, and I’m ready to get going next week.”

A tackling machine at Wisconsin, Sanborn went undrafted due to questions about how his athleticism would translate to the wide-open era of NFL offenses.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles and his personnel department saw something in Sanborn and snapped him up before any other team had the chance. Still, Sanborn’s chances of making the Bears out of training camp were slim.

But with the help of a linebacker room stocked with players who have had various NFL journeys, Sanborn put his head down and beat down the door to a roster spot.

“I think the whole linebacker room because you have a lot guys in there that started their NFL careers in a lot of different ways,” Sanborn said. “You’ve got Roquan [Smith], who was a top-10 pick, and [Nicholas Morrow] who was undrafted, and Matt [Adams] in the seventh round, [Joe Thomas] undrafted, Caleb [Johnson]. I think all those guys have just kind of proved you can make it.”

As he put his nose to the grindstone to make an unlikely roster push, Sanborn soaked up all the advice he could from Smith, who was an open book despite not practicing amid a contract dispute.

“Big. A lot of ways,” Sanborn said when asked how Smith has helped him go from undrafted rookie to part of the 53. “Obviously, he wasn’t practicing for training camp. But he was there, he was helping me out.

“He has played a lot of ball, really good ball too. He’s definitely someone I listen too.”

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Morrow likely was even more of an asset to Sanborn, having started his journey as an undrafted rookie himself.

“Yeah, he’s got that mindset of just kind of working and taking it day-by-day. He’s been a big help," Sanborn said.

Step by step, Sanborn rose up the pecking order with head coach Matt Eberflus, defensive coordinator Alan Williams, and special team coordinator Richard Hightower.

For undrafted rookies trying to carve out a place in the NFL, versatility and playmaking ability are the currency to pay your toll. Sanborn showed he had both during training camp and an impressive preseason debut in which he recorded an interception and a fumble recovery.

“When guys make plays, when they make plays in games and they’re instinctual and they make plays like that, I think that you always take a look at those guys,” head coach Matt Eberflus said of Sanborn. “Because when you hit the ball and you do things that change football games, you give guys a chance.”

Sanborn didn’t know he was safe until he walked into his meetings Tuesday at Halas Hall. He still hadn’t called his mother to tell her the news when he spoke with the media in the locker room.

There will be no celebrating for Lake Zurich’s favorite son, though. The Bears are back at practice Wednesday as prep for a Week 1 date with the San Francisco 49ers.

Sanborn is aware that Tuesday is both the culmination of years of hard work and the beginning of his next voyage.

Making the NFL is only part of the battle. Now, it’s about proving you belong and continuing to rise.

“Just work,” Sanborn said. “Work every day and be the best player you can for this team.

“I’m happy I’m here.”

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