The Bears have made a bold move and decided not to offer a contract tender to strongside linebacker Jack Sanborn. This news came Tuesday from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who reported that the Bears will let him hit unrestricted free agency next week.

That’s a sign that the Bears are no longer interested in the undrafted defender. They could’ve placed an original round tender on him for the lowest possible price. That would’ve given them the right of first refusal, but the Bears turned that opportunity down.

Sanborn was a starter in the Bears base defense and played pretty well in that role, so the move not to tender him should be considered somewhat of a surprise. The right-of-first-refusal tender is worth $3.26 million, which isn’t that steep a price for a starting linebacker. The Bears are going through a transition, though, and coordinator Dennis Allen has a strong say in the skill sets he needs on the defensive side of the football. Slot cornerback Kyler Gordon will play the majority of the snaps as the defense’s 11th man, to the tune of 70 percent of the defensive snaps.

The Bears still have Noah Sewell under contract, though Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards should be considered every-down, off-the-ball linebackers.