LB Ruben Hyppolite named standout during Chicago Bears minicamp

Ahmed Ghafir
1 day ago
2 min read

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson had high praise for former Maryland and rookie LB Ruben Hyppolite during Thursday’s press conference.

After putting a pin in a reporter’s question earlier in the week when asked about standouts through Bears’ minicamp, Johnson opened Thursday’s press conference by noting a pair of defensive players including Hyppolite, who Johnson said is “the player we probably saw the most improvement from when he stepped in to now.”

“There’s a lot of moving parts there at linebacker play,” Johnson added. “They’re keying and diagnosing a few different deals, and just with [defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s] scheme, the match mentality that we like to play a lot of our coverages with, things change quickly. He’s done a great job adjusting to that speed as we’ve gone through, and that’s going to have to show up once we do get the pads on. But I think he’s been improving every single day, and really, we’re hoping that course continues.”

Hyppolite has capitalized on his reps in a competition with second-year LB Noah Sewell at SAM, but it’s also a chance for the Florida native to prove himself on the field. Hyppolite’s selection in the 2025 NFL Draft raised eyebrows across the country while ESPN was critical of the selection in the days after, calling the pick “a major reach in the middle rounds by general manager Ryan Poles.”

Hyppolite, fresh off a four-year, $5.1 million contract, is one of two Terps in Chicago with DJ Moore entering his third season with the team as he looks to notch his fifth 1,000 receiving yards in the last seven seasons. For now, the star veteran receiver is working on body language after making headlines during the 2024 season and connecting with Ben Johnson shortly after arriving in Chicago.

"Just don't do it. Just keep it inside," Moore said. "We talked about it later and just don't put it on film. Don't put it on TV. So you guys can't run with it. So that's how it is."

Related Links