The Bears on Tuesday made the following roster moves:
• Placed linebacker Jack Sanborn on injured reserve with an ankle injury he sustained in Sunday's loss to the Eagles. The undrafted rookie was hurt early in the second half while tackling tight end Jack Stoll on a 6-yard reception.
In six starts after joining the No. 1 defense following the trade of Roquan Smith, Sanborn recorded 59 tackles, 2.0 sacks and five tackles-for-loss.
Asked what impressed him about Sanborn, coach Matt Eberflus said: "Just his maturity. His ability to handle that space. And then the production. He had a lot of tackling production. His instincts we saw, and we saw that during training camp, so we were excited about that. He's an impactful player and we're excited to have him."
• Signed linebacker Elijah Lee to the active roster off the Chiefs practice squad. The 26-year-old has appeared in 71 NFL games with six starts over six seasons with the 49ers (2017-19), Lions (2020), Browns (2020-21) and Chiefs (2022). He has registered 105 tackles, 1.0 sack, four tackles-for-loss, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Lee was selected by the Vikings in the seventh round of the 2017 draft out of Kansas State. He opened his rookie season on Minnesota's practice squad before being signed by the 49ers Sept. 13. He played 14 games with San Francisco as a rookie and remained with the 49ers through the 2019 season.
After stints with the Lions and Browns, Lee appeared in five games with the Chiefs this year, compiling six tackles and one fumble recovery.
• Signed defensive end Terrell Lewis and linebacker Kuony Deng to the practice squad.
Lewis was chosen by the Rams in the third round of the 2020 draft out of Alabama. He appeared in 30 games with seven starts over three seasons with Los Angeles, amassing 40 tackles, 6.0 sacks, one interception and eight tackles-for-loss. This year he played in 11 games with three starts, recording 13 tackles, 1.0 sack, one interception and two tackles-for-loss before being waived Dec. 15.
Deng signed with the Falcons this year as an undrafted free agent from California. He played in two preseason games before being waived in mid-August.
• Released cornerback Justin Layne. Selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2019 draft out of Michigan State, Layne was claimed by the Bears off waived from Giants Nov. 15 and appeared in two games.
