The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2025 offseason with high hopes, splashing cash and making calculated moves to shore up their roster and give star quarterback Dak Prescott the support he needs to chase glory. While the offense has held its own through the season’s rocky first half, the defense has been a glaring weak spot—a leaky ship taking on water week after week. And smack in the middle of that defensive debacle is one offseason acquisition who’s turned out to be more bust than boom: veteran linebacker Jack Sanborn.
Signed to a one-year deal after three seasons with the Chicago Bears, Sanborn was supposed to be a seamless fit in Dallas. After all, he knows defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ scheme inside and out from their time together in the Windy City. Expectations were sky-high—he’d anchor the linebacker corps, plug gaps in run defense, and maybe even surprise in coverage. But halfway through the campaign, Sanborn has been a ghost on the field, failing to live up to the hype and leaving fans wondering if this free-agent gamble was doomed from the start.
The numbers paint a grim picture. Pro Football Focus grades Sanborn at a dismal 56.3 overall, slotting him 53rd out of 78 qualifying linebackers—a far cry from the impact player Dallas envisioned. His 23 solo tackles? That ranks him 61st. Eight assisted tackles? Dead last at 64th. These aren’t the stats of a cornerstone defender; they’re the hallmarks of a replaceable cog in a machine that’s sputtering badly. Opposing quarterbacks have feasted on the Cowboys’ secondary and linebackers, torching them through the air, and Sanborn’s longstanding struggles in pass coverage have only amplified the chaos. He’s become a liability, exposed time and again as Dallas’ defense crumbles under pressure.
As Week 10 dawns, Sanborn’s future in Big D looks bleaker than ever. He’s been shelved on injured reserve with a nagging groin injury, sidelining him until at least early December. That’s precious time lost—opportunities to turn things around slipping away while he watches from the sidelines. And just when he needed a lifeline, the Cowboys pulled off a blockbuster at the trade deadline, snagging proven linebacker Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals. If Wilson hits the ground running and shores up the unit, Sanborn’s path back to relevance shrinks to a needle’s eye.
Barring a miraculous second-half resurgence—think All-Pro level play from a guy who’s been invisible so far—it’s tough to see Sanborn donning the star beyond Week 18. His expiring contract screams “prove it or lose it,” but with injuries piling up and fresh talent stepping in, the writing’s on the wall. What was billed as a savvy reunion with Eberflus has devolved into one of the Cowboys’ most frustrating storylines of 2025. As the season hurtles toward its climax, Sanborn’s tenure in Dallas feels like a ticking clock, counting down to an unceremonious exit. Will he flip the script? History—and his stats—suggest otherwise, but in the NFL, stranger things have happened. For now, though, it’s looking like time’s up for this failed experiment.