Exclusive: Now-Chicago Bears Safety Marlen Sewell Still Takes Pride in Vanderbilt Football Background – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—For a few hours on this Saturday night, Marlen Sewell has no time to recharge his social battery. He’s always talking to someone. He only takes a second to stop shaking hands with familiar faces to take a look at his former teammates warming up for the first Vanderbilt football game that he hasn’t been a part of since 2021. 
Of the five former Vanderbilt standouts that stood on the sideline, Sewell was the only one milling around the sideline and taking a moment to take in the feel of his old stomping grounds. When Vanderbilt kicked off against Austin Peay, Sewell stayed on the sideline alongside former teammates Diego Pavia, Chase Mitchell, Khordae Sydnor and Isaia Glass. 
Each of those five were core members of Vanderbilt’s 2025 team, which put together a program-record 10-win season. Sewell can say something that each of those four former teammates can’t, though. He stayed at Vanderbilt for the entirety of his career. He could’ve left after a few down years for the program when he played sparingly. 
Sewell didn’t, though. 
He stayed through a loss to ETSU. He stayed through multiple 2-10 seasons. When he was faced with a decision, Sewell thought of nights like Saturday. He thought of his legacy. Now, Sewell’s loyalty has paid off. 
“I always call myself a Vandy legend,” Sewell told Vandy on SI. “This is home. I’ve even got a place out here. If all else fails–other than Birmingham, Alabama–Nashville, Tennessee is where I want to be, Vandy in particular. I built a life here.” 
Sewell being considered a Vanderbilt legend is far from a consensus opinion, but he’s the type of foundational piece that allowed it to transform from a bottom feeder to a College Football Playoff contender. Sewell wasn’t the best player on Vanderbilt’s defense, but he was a starting-caliber player that was as much of a culture bearer as anyone on his side of the ball. 
Watching Sewell mill around the sidelines prior to Vanderbilt’s 2026 opener was watching him reap what he sowed for five years, including two in which he was a team captain. Sewell estimates that he still knows 95% of the people in Vanderbilt’s program–the only exceptions are non-early enrollee freshmen and transfers. Sewell embraced Vanderbilt security guards, coaches, freshman linebacker Austin Howard and receiver Kayleb Barnett all over a half hour prior to Saturday’s kickoff. 
In that way, Sewell has a Vanderbilt football legacy that can’t be accounted for in his 101 career tackles, three passes defended and 0.5 sacks. Sewell likely won’t be around all that much the rest of the way due to his duties as a Chicago Bears practice squad member, but demonstrating a care for his former program is something that he’s thought about and takes pride in. 
“It’s so important to come back and see these guys play,” Sewell said. “It fills my heart with joy to be out here and watch them.” 
Perhaps Sewell having the chance to stand on the Vanderbilt sideline and watch a number of his former teammates was more meaningful as a result of them returning the favor. Sewell and the Bears played the Tennessee Titans in their final preseason game on August 29, when Vanderbilt safeties coach Melvin Rice, Vanderbilt edge rusher Miles Capers and Vanderbilt safety Jalen Gilbert were in the stands to watch him. 
Sewell made three tackles that night, but was cut by the Bears in the hours following that game. Bears general manager Ryan Poles clearly has plans for Sewell and signed him to the practice squad almost immediately, though. It’s only fitting that Sewell is valued in a place that he refers to as having “a special connection” with Vanderbilt because of crossover between Earl Bennett, Jay Cutler, former Vanderbilt safety turned Bears staffer Reshard Langford, nutritionist Blair Hitchcock–who is a former Vanderbilt nutritionist–and current Bear Dayo Odeyingbo. 
The idea that Sewell would find himself on a practice squad entering week one appeared to be a longshot after he went undrafted, signed with the Kansas City Chiefs and was cut after Rookie Minicamp. Sewell initially chose the Chiefs over the Bears, but the Bears believed what he still wholeheartedly believes today–that he’s capable of being an NFL player that will make teams that passed him up wish they hadn’t. 
“I’m always gonna have that chip on my shoulder,” Sewell said. “That’s just always how I’ve been, ever since being a kid. It was a great [training] camp, but there was always going to be more left on the table, and I'm going to just keep improving and do whatever the Bears need me to do to help the team, whether that be a role player, scout team player. Whatever I got to do, I’ll do it.”
What Sewell says next is an indicator that he got out of his Vanderbilt experience what he says he did. He declares that his attitude and demeanor is one that could assist him as he looks to stick on NFL rosters. Sewell believes he’s the type of person that NFL general managers and coaching staffs want in their building daily. 
Sewell declared prior to the 2025 season that he committed to Vanderbilt under Derek Mason with the hope that the place would form him into a man by the time he was done with it. As he stands there and watches Vanderbilt’s safeties warm up, he clearly is. He’s also one of Vanderbilt’s few NFL representatives. 
But, he’ll never forget when he wasn’t quite one yet and had to figure out life as a Vanderbilt football player. 
“It was one of the greatest moments of my life,” Sewell said. “I left it better than how I found it.”
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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