Marlen Sewell’s first NFL season just took another turn. On Thursday, the Chicago Bears released the former Vanderbilt safety from the practice squad with an injury settlement, according to the NFL transaction log.
For Commodore fans who followed his five-year grind in Nashville, it is a familiar chapter in a career defined by staying power more than splash.
Sewell, a Birmingham native who signed with Vanderbilt out of Shades Valley High School as a three-star cornerback in the 2021 class, never transferred. He stayed through lean years, special-teams work, and a program that finally found its footing under Clark Lea.
By the time he left, he had played in 45 games with 15 starts, posted about 102 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a half-sack, three passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. His senior season in 2025 was his best: a second-year captain who started all 13 games and led the secondary with 52 tackles.
That résumé earned him an undrafted free-agent deal with Kansas City after the 2026 draft. The Chiefs waived him in June after adding L’Jarius Sneed.
Chicago signed him in early August as depth after Coby Bryant’s camp injury, waived him at final cuts on Aug. 30, then brought him back to the practice squad the next day. He even had Vanderbilt staff and teammates in the stands for Chicago’s preseason finale against Tennessee.
Days later he was cut; days after that he was back. The latest release ends that brief Bears chapter.
From a Vanderbilt angle, the story was never only about making a 53-man roster. Sewell was a two-time captain, a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member, and a Wuerffel Trophy watch-list nominee who earned a degree in medicine, health and society and started a master’s in legal studies.
He was the culture guy coaches pointed to when the defense needed a voice. Last weekend he was back on the Commodore sideline for the 2026 opener, greeting staff, freshmen, and old teammates—still connected to a program he estimates he still knows almost entirely.
Injury settlements often mean a player is free to sign elsewhere once healthy. For a 6-foot, 199-pound safety who ran well at his pro day and built his game on communication and special teams, that next look is still possible.
Commodore football has sent plenty of late bloomers into the league. Sewell’s Vanderbilt years—loyalty, leadership, and a late surge as a starter—are the part Nashville will remember first.
The NFL chapter is unfinished.
