After spending the 2015 season with the Bears, linebacker Sam Acho will be returning to Chicago for at least one more year. Acho’s agency, SportsTrust Advisors, announced today (via Twitter) that the veteran free agent has agreed to re-sign with the Bears.
Acho, 27, spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Cardinals before signing with the Bears for 2015. From a statistical standpoint, Acho’s best season was his rookie year in 2011, when he racked up seven sacks and forced three fumbles. The former fourth-round pick didn’t record a single sack in 2015 for the first time in his career.
While he didn’t make a major impact as a pass rusher during his first year in Chicago, Acho was a solid special-teamer, defensive depth piece, and locker-room presence for the Bears. Pro Football Focus assigned him a solid grade as a run defender, even as his pass rush grade dipped.
Acho earned seven starts in 2015, but if Pernell McPhee, Lamarr Houston, and Willie Young are healthy for the entire 2016 season, I wouldn’t expect him to see the field any more often going forward than he did last year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.