The Chicago Bears have seven picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, with three in the first two rounds, four in the top 100, and one more in the top 150 slots. That is a lot of ammunition to rebuild their roster, and the Bears could target someone like Jimmy Rolder to help them do just that.
Rolder has ties to the area and, even more importantly, the team. He also plays a position of need that the Bears have already begun reworking this offseason.
The need and, for the most part, fit both appear to be there.
Bears Move on Former Michigan Wolverines LB Jimmy Rolder
Jimmy Rolder Could Resolve Bears’ Need at LB
“Source: Michigan LB Jimmy Rolder has visits scheduled with the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears & Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” “Commanding The Huddle” host Ryan Fowler reported in a post on X on March 21.
“Physical, downhill LB was a one-year starter at Michigan & projects as a multi-phase contributor. One of the premier 1-on-1 tacklers in the class, as well.”
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared Rolder to Houston Texans starter Henry To’oTo’o.
“Rolder’s instincts and run-game consistency make it hard to believe he was only a one-year starter in college. He plays low and leveraged with violent hands to shock and slip off blocks,” Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft profile on the Orland Park, Illinois native.
“Finds the best routes to the run gap and maneuvers around traffic with efficiency to tighten angles to the ball-carrier. He plays with good awareness and change of direction in space but has average pursuit speed and coverage talent. Few linebackers in this draft finish tackles with the technique and consistency he displays. If you trust the tape and ignore his lack of experience, Rolder profiles as a future starting inside linebacker.”
Jimmy Rolder Checks Multiple Boxes
Rolder was a four-year contributor at Michigan, where he won a national championship as a teammate of Bears tight end and 2025 first-round draft pick Colston Loveland in 2023.
He set career highs with 73 total tackles, 7 stops for loss, 2.0 sacks, and 1 interception in 2025.
Rolder played in double-digit games in three of his four seasons in Ann Arbor, showing a level of durability that the Bears lacked throughout their linebacker room last season. He also has a similar physical profile to another local product, Lake Zurich’s own Jack Sanborn.
Sanborn, who re-signed in free agency after one year with the Dallas Cowboys, drew similar sentiments from Zierlein in 2022 as a heady, tough backer with limited athleticism.
However, Zierlein views Rolder as a future starter.
Bears LB Room Still Faces Uncertainty
The Bears cut ties with two-time Pro Bowler Tremaine Edmunds this offseason. Fellow starter T.J. Edwards missed multiple games with a hamstring injury last season, his first following a contract extension during the 2025 offseason.
The Bears added Devin Bush in free agency to a group that includes 2025 waiver claim find D’Marco Jackson and draft pick Ruben Hyppolite II.
They met with linebackers like Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez at the combine, too.
The Bears’ linebacking corps will look different this coming season, and the situation could continue to evolve. Chicago can get out from under the final year of Edwards’ contract next offseason with minimal dead money.
Noah Sewell, a SAM backer who is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, and his brother Nephi Sewell–Jackson’s teammate on the New Orleans Saints–are the Bears’ only other LBs.
