Jack Sanborn isn’t the flashiest name the Dallas Cowboys added this offseason. But he might end up being one of the most important.
After going undrafted in 2022, Sanborn didn’t just scrape his way onto an NFL roster — he made an instant impact. He was the only undrafted rookie that year to make the PFF All-Rookie Team.
That’s not normal. Making a team as a UDFA is hard enough. Becoming a sought after defender and quarterback of a defense without any elite physical traits? That’s something else entirely.
Sanborn went undrafted because teams couldn't measure the things that actually made him different — his instincts, his football IQ, his ability to process quickly and react in real time. Those traits don’t show up at a Combine. They show up on Sundays.
And it wasn’t a fluke. Sanborn became a key cog for three straight seasons in Matt Eberflus’ defense — so much so that when ex-Bears head coach Matt Eberflus took over in Dallas as coordinator, he made sure to pursue Sanborn heavily and bring him with him.
That should speak volumes about how Sanborn is wired. It’s not about the measurables. It’s about the person behind the player — a theme we’ve hammered all offseason when breaking down the Cowboys’ new direction under Schottenheimer and now Eberflus.
"It's definitely for sure about flying around and having an aggressive mindset and being downhill. Just making and causing problems for the offense, but at the same time, everybody's got a job," Sanborn said of his mindset. "(Eberflus) is really big into that.''
When you don’t have elite traits, the margin for error is razor-thin. The only way you survive — and thrive — is through film study, preparation, instincts, toughness, and commitment.
That’s exactly who Jack Sanborn is. And if history is any indicator, betting against him is a mistake a lot of people already regret.
