Bears rookie LB Jack Sanborn out for season with ankle injury

Bears rookie linebacker Jack Sanborn, one of the team’s bigger developmental success stories, is out for the rest of the season after suffering a left ankle injury against the Eagles.

The Bears have three games left, starting Saturday against the Bills. Coach Matt Eberflus downplayed the severity of the injury Tuesday, saying if it had happened earlier in the season, Sanborn would’ve been expected to return.

Sanborn, from Lake Zurich High School, made the team as an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin and played 14 games, including six starts. He replaced Roquan Smith in the lineup when the Bears traded him to the Ravens midseason.

Sanborn is fifth on the team with 64 tackles and has two sacks and a fumble recovery.

“Just his maturity, his ability to handle that space,” Eberflus said when asked what impressed him about Sanborn. “He had a lot of tackling production. He’s an impactful player, and we’re excited to have him.”

The Bears played journeyman Joe Thomas in Sanborn’s place when he got hurt Sunday, and he had six tackles, including the team’s only sack.