As Ben Johnson steps into his new role as head coach, there are sure to be position battles all over the roster. Coming off of a 5-12 and with an entirely new foundation being built, Johnson is going to wipe the slate clean as he builds his first Bears depth chart.
While the head coach comes to Chicago with an offensive background, the Bears know their defense must take a step forward if they want to truly compete. When it comes to the linebacker position, Johnson – and new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen – already have two strong building blocks to work with in TJ Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds.
However, Chicago’s depth at the position is filled with question marks. As the Bears begun rookie minicamp, Johnson left no doubts about there being an open competition for the third linebacker spot, via Michael Dwojak of Shaw Local.
#Bears coach Ben Johnson said the third linebacker spot behind TJ Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds is up for grabs.
— Michal Dwojak (@mdwojak94) May 9, 2025
Battle for Chicago Bears’ third linebacker spot per Ben Johnson
As it stands, Ruben Hyppolite II, Noah Sewell and Swayze Bozeman seem like the favorites for the job. Amen Obongbemiga is mainly a special teamer while Power Echols was an undrafted free agent. There’s always a chance the Bears go outside the organization to add linebacker help. But for now, Chicago wants to see what they have on their roster.
Sewell is the longest tenured of the trio, although that isn’t saying much as he was a fifth-round pick in 2023. He hasn’t had much of an opportunity make an impact, appearing in 22 games with no starts. Sewell has racked up 13 tackles and two forced fumbles. Only 23-years-old, the linebacker still has plenty of hypothetical potential. But Sewell must prove himself on the field sooner rather than later.
The Bears signed Bozeman after a one-year stint with the Kansas City Chiefs. Signed as an undrafted free agent, Bozeman made it into three regular season games for the Chiefs, racking up three tackles. The linebacker will likely start out on special teams, but will be given an opportunity to prove himself to the new defensive staff.
Surprisingly the most heralded of the bunch is Hyppolite, who Chicago used a fourth-round pick on. While his numbers at Maryland weren’t too outstanding, his 4.39 40-yard dash at his Pro Day certainly caught the Bears’ eye. He will need further development of his technique at the NFL level. But having that kind of speed from the linebacker position is unheard of.
Throughout rookie mini camp, Allen, Johnson and company will begin planting the seeds of their linebacker corps and entire defense. While the entire roster isn’t there, Chicago will at least get a first look at the young talent on their roster. If they see a player that immediately pops out, they’ll have all the momentum entering training camp.
There are bound to be plenty of changes to the Bears roster between the start of rookie minicamp and Week 1. After Johnson’s announcement, the linebacker position is officially on notice. All Chicago fans will have all eyes on the battle as they see who will join the core of Edmunds and Edwards.
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