They say it’s a small world. Some call it a coincidence. Others call it fate. Whatever the case may be, there is no question many things had to line up exactly the right way for what happened to T.J. Edwards and Jack Sanborn. That may sound unusual. Those two seem to have nothing in common on the surface. Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles signed Sanborn as an undrafted rookie last year. He quickly emerged to become a pleasant surprise as a starter. Edwards arrived as a free agent from Philadelphia in March. No big deal.
People have no idea how deep the rabbit hole goes with these two. Sean Hammond of Shaw Local revealed some incredibly deep connections between the two that go all the way back to high school.
The two linebackers have taken nearly identical paths to the NFL. Both were high school football stars in the northern suburbs – Edwards at Lakes and Sanborn at Lake Zurich. Both went on to stellar careers as linebackers at Wisconsin, where they met and got to know each other in 2018. Both thought they might hear their name in the NFL draft, then waited all weekend long only to never hear it. Both signed as undrafted rookies and had to fight their way to a roster spot on special teams before eventually emerging as starting linebackers.
Now, both are Chicago Bears.
On top of all that, they were both coached in high school by coach Luke Mertens, who was the head coach at Lakes and at Lake Zurich before moving to his alma mater St. Patrick ahead of the 2022 season.
“I mean, c’mon, right?” Mertens said. “It’s unbelievable odds for something like that to happen.”
Some things are just meant to be.
Sanborn and Edwards both grew up with dreams of playing for the Bears. Now those dreams have come true. Maybe they will take things a step further, and both end up starting on the field together for the first time. It would be a fitting climax to one of the craziest story threads in recent memory.
The Chicago Bears place great value on hometown connections.
As many as six players with local ties to the team could be on the roster this year, depending on how final cuts go. Rest assured, that is not a norm in the NFL. Poles seems to believe that players who play in front of fans they grew up with give them a little extra juice. Sanborn some of that last year and hope to again. Edwards is eager to do the same. He had a great run in Philadelphia but made it clear during his introductory press conference that playing for the Bears was a dream he aimed to fulfill.
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Whether they play together is uncertain. Edwards is already expected to start alongside new middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. The only spot left vacant is the SAM position. Sanborn is the current favorite to claim it, but he’s been sidelined with an injury. That has allowed rookie Noah Sewell to make a positive impression in spring practices. Sanborn will have work to do once training camp starts. It would be such a cool story if he and Edwards share a field for the first time.
