Spotlight on LB3: Sewell, Hyppolite, and the Battle for Sanborn’s Successor

Hyppolite has the speed to earn some snaps as a rookie (David Banks - USA Today Sports)

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 5 hours ago

Now that Rookie Mini-Camp has officially begun, things are starting to get real as Chicago Bears football is almost here. Soon, you will have the Schedule Release, followed by Training Camp, and then, most importantly, the preseason, as that is the official opening of the 2025 NFL season.

While the Ben Johnson era is still very new, there is one thing that all the players have been talking about regarding him and his staff. If you have been around the organization or have been able to hear some of the things going on, you get a sense of how different things will be this season as this coaching staff has a much different tone than the previous regime.

They are not only challenging every one of the players, but are also setting exceptionally high standards, which has to be refreshing for everyone on this roster. You also have the competition factor as Johnson wants his team to compete every day regardless of their status on the team. You have already heard Johnson come out and say that there will be one position battle as an open competition, as the Linebacker three position will be the one spot to keep an eye on all summer.

There is no denying that the Bears have a pair of highly talented linebackers in Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards as they will once again lead the linebacker room. Apart from them, their running mate is undecided, and it most likely won't be decided until the start of the regular season.

Jack Sanborn held that role last season and, despite putting up some very solid numbers, was not retained by Ryan Poles this offseason. Sanborn was on the field for 22% of the defensive snaps last season, which was down from his 2023 season and ultimately wound up signing with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. Although the percentage of snaps was low, Sanborn was very productive during his time on the field, and that is one of the concerns for Dennis Allen heading into camp.

He knows the loss of Sanborn will be huge and is a little bit concerned about who will take over his role this season. However, with more than three months until the start of the regular season, the Bears will have an open competition throughout the summer and will figure things out on the fly.

Of the names expected to battle it out for that position, Noah Sewell is a name to keep an eye on, as Johnson named-dropped him as one of the leading candidates to win the job. The soon-to-be third-year man out of Oregon has been with the Bears for the past two seasons and has played in 22 games during that time.

That included nine games last season as Sewell came away with four tackles and a forced fumble. He has 13 career tackles in his two seasons, but given his overall athletic ability, he is going to be given a shot to earn some snaps.

He is expected to go toe to toe with Ruben Hyppolite II, whom the Bears drafted in round four this season.

Not much of a pass rusher, Hyppolite has a knack for being around the football and is one of the faster linebackers in this year's rookie class. He would fit well in the Allen scheme and would be the perfect sideline-to-sideline linebacker to get after the ball carrier. Those may be the two favorites to win the final linebacker spot out of camp, but Chicago does have several other options to keep tabs on.

Veterans Swayze Bozeman and Amen Ogbongbemiga could also come into play as both are eager to prove their worth to the new coaching staff. Bozeman, who began his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, has played sparingly at best as he has seen action in only three career NFL games, logging three tackles in those games.

Ogbongbemiga, on the other hand, is the most experienced name on this list as he has played in 64 career NFL games. That includes 17 last season as he finished the season with seven tackles and one sack. Over his 64 games, Obgongbemiga has picked up close to 50 tackles, two coming as sacks.

Although we are still extremely early in the off-season process, these are the types of battles we can expect to see from the Bears throughout the offseason. If Johnson has shown us anything thus far, it would be that regardless of your status on the team, you will often have to work for your spot. That's not a bad mindset to have as competition often brings out the best in a player.