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Chicago Bears
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There’s been a lot of downs, but there have been some great ups!
For decades, we have heard about the Chicago Bears in the 1980s and how great those teams were. And they certainly were great. The Bears probably had as many great seasons in the 1980s as they have from 1990 to the present.
There have been way too many losing seasons and not enough joy for Bears fans over the last 30+ years, but some of the highs have been pretty great. A couple of days ago, we lost former Chicago Bears head coach Dick Jauron who was the head coach for one of those great seasons, the magical season of 2001.
How does that 2001 season compare to the other great seasons the Chicago Bears have had? We take back at the five best seasons the Bears have had since 1990.
5. 2013 Chicago Bears: 8-8
It may seem weird to have an 8-8 season in the top five. The Bears have certainly had better seasons in terms of their records than this one, but I don’t know if Bears fans had five seasons where they had more fun than this one.
Marc Trestman’s first season in Chicago didn’t result in a great record, but it did result in an offense that the Bears haven’t matched over the last quarter century. The Bears had the second-highest-scoring offense in the entire NFL. Jay Cutler and Josh McCown combined for 32 touchdown passes, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery both had over 1,000 yards receiving, and Matt Forte was just shy of 2,000 yards from scrimmage.
The fact that Bears fans got to sit back and watch an elite offense score points, even if it didn’t result in wins, makes this season one of the most enjoyable ones Bears fans have had since Walter Payton retired.
4. 2010 Chicago Bears: 11-5
Lovie Smith is the only Bears coach who puts two of his seasons on the list. This one wasn’t the most exhilarating season. The Bears started 4-3 as they hit their bye week and I don’t think Bears fans had incredible expectations at that point, but the Bears ripped off wins in seven of their next eight games, catapulted themselves to an 11-5 record, and won the NFC North. That streak earned them the division championship and a bye into the Divisional Round.
The Bears at that point knocked off the Seahawks and found themselves in the NFC Championship game and were a Caleb Haine away from reaching another Super Bowl. I don’t think this team is remembered with much love because the offense was one of the bottom ten in the leagues, but Lovie’s defense had an excellent season and when you’re an eyelash away from the Super Bowl, you have to look back on it fondly.
3. 2018 Chicago Bears: 12-4
We all remember this season well, probably too well. The bitter end of the “double-doink” is what resonates when people look back on this season because fans truly believe that had that field goal gone through the uprights, this team could have reached the Super Bowl.
It’s hard to argue after what Vic Fangio did to the Rams in the regular season and the fact that Bill Belichick ran the Bears’ defense in the Super Bowl and the Rams scored three points. Had the Bears been able to knock off Brady and Belichick? Who knows, but this will always be a season with a big “what if” attached to it. But if you look back at the season as a whole, with the dominance of Khalil Mack, the defensive touchdowns, the fantastic touchdown celebrations, and some hope surrounding Mitch Trubisky, this one was one of the best seasons the Bears have given us in a very long time.
2. 2001 Chicago Bears: 13-3
This Bears team came into the season with practically zero expectations. The Bears had gone 4-12, 6-10, and 5-11 the previous three seasons. They had Jim Miller and Shane Matthews as their quarterbacks. Cade McNown had just busted his way off the team. There was no reason to think anything spectacular was going to happen this season.
But Dick Jauron’s boys had some magic.
The Bears started the season against the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens and lost 17-6, an expected type of score, but the Bears then won 6 straight including two miracle Mike Brown game-winning pick-sixes in overtime against the 49ers and Browns (which of course also included the James Allen Hail Mary) and other than the Packers, the Bears didn’t lose to another NFL team the rest of the season.
They lost their first playoff game to the Philadelphia Eagles, but Hugh Douglas knocked Jim Miller out of that game, and you have to wonder if Miller finished that game, would the result of that one have been different? The Bears had a 14-13 lead early in the 3rd quarter, but the Bears' passing game was nonexistent all game and eventually, it was too much for the Bears' defense to overcome.
1. 2006 Chicago Bears: 13-3
Of course, this was going to be the top season. The Bears have been in the Super Bowl one time in the last 35 years, and this, of course, is the season. This season’s excitement went far beyond just the Super Bowl, this was, of course, the start, of the electricity that is Devin Hester.
Between Hester’s electricity, the ridiculous “They are who we thought they were” game against the Arizona Cardinals and of course, a Super Bowl appearance where you have to wonder if they kept feeding the ball to Thomas Jones in the second half, perhaps the electricity that Devin Hester’s opening kickoff touchdown return produced would have continued all the way to Rex Grossman holding up the Lombardi Trophy after the game. What a sight that would have been.
Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...rown-devin-hester-brian-urlacher-double-doink
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Top free agent OL for Bears to consider in 2025
Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...-agent-signings-2025-nfl-offseason-trey-smith
Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images
WCG’s lead draft analyst shares the top offensive line targets the Bears could pursue in free agency.
It’s hardly a bold take to say the offensive line is the Bears’ biggest need heading into the 2025 offseason.
Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times in 2024, making him the third-most sacked quarterback in a single season in NFL history. With three starting offensive line positions likely up for grabs in 2025, the Bears have the perfect combination of openings in the starting lineup and general needs up front.
Darnell Wright figures to be locked in as Chicago’s starting right tackle, and Braxton Jones, as much as opinions about him in the fanbase may vary, realistically figures to start at left tackle again in 2025. Both primary starting guards from last season — Teven Jenkins and Matt Pryor — are slated to hit free agency, though, as is center Coleman Shelton.
The Bears have the fifth-most cap space in the league heading into the offseason, and they have four picks in the top 75 selections in the 2025 NFL Draft. They seem likely to use some of the money along their offensive line, and should they choose to do so, these free agents could be targets.
Chiefs RG Trey Smith
A Pro Bowl guard at 25 years old, Smith is the crown jewel of offensive linemen in free agency if the Chiefs don’t extend him. He graded above 72.0 in PFF grades each of his four seasons in the NFL thus far, and he didn’t allow a single sack in 2024. Ryan Poles was in Kansas City’s front office when they drafted Smith, so the ties are there. With the Chiefs spending a significant amount of money on their interior offensive line already, there’s a chance he hits the open market.
Falcons C Drew Dalman
Dalman has been a reliable starter for the Falcons each of the last three seasons, grading as a top-five center by PFF each of the last two seasons. He missed significant time in the middle of the 2024 season due to an ankle injury, but he’s a high-level starter at 26 years old who figures to make a significant amount of money this free agency.
Lions RG Kevin Zeitler
If the Bears want a short-term answer at guard, Zeitler is a perfect fit. He worked with Ben Johnson in Detroit, he played at an extremely high level in 2024, and he’s been a reliable starter since coming into the league back in 2012. There’s always risk signing older players to more expensive deals, so Zeitler, who turns 35 in March, feels like a player a team signs on a one-year deal instead of a long-term contract. That said, he’s aged like fine wine and remains one of the top guards in the NFL.
Colts RG Will Fries
A season-ending leg injury cut Fries’ 2024 season short, providing some murkiness in regards to his contract status in upcoming free agency. He’ll be in the prime of his career turning 27 in April, though, and he earned a phenomenal 86.9 PFF grade this year that would have made him the second-best guard in the league had he kept that pace up in a healthy season.
Eagles RG Mekhi Becton
Injuries and weight issues plagued Becton’s time with the Jets after the team used a first-round pick on him in 2020. The Eagles signed him on a one-year deal and kicked him inside to guard, and that has helped propel his career back on track. He’ll be 26 in April, meaning there’s likely still a lot of good football ahead of him.
Steelers RG James Daniels
Ryan Poles opted to not extend Daniels after his rookie contract expired with the Bears, but given the team’s struggles along the offensive line, Chicago’s former second-round pick could be back on the table if the two sides come together. He had an unbelievable 92.9 PFF grade in four games before tearing his Achilles, and for how experienced he is as an NFL starting lineman, he’s only 27 years old.
Cowboys RG Zack Martin
Martin is a guaranteed future Hall of Famer, and while he’s not the perennial All-Pro he was earlier in his career, he’s still an impact starter who can serve as a valuable mentor for young players along an offensive line. At 34 years old, he’s likely more of a one-year rental but could be worth considering if he hits the open market.
Colts C Ryan Kelly
A four-time Pro Bowler at center, Kelly has been an anchor of the Colts’ offense since he entered the league in 2016. He turns 32 in May, and he’s spent his entire career in Indianapolis. That said, he could be a great stopgap starting option at center should he hit free agency.
Check out Jacob working through a mock draft and breaking down some prospects!
Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...-agent-signings-2025-nfl-offseason-trey-smith
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Mocking the Mocks: Chicago Bears Three Rounder from NFL.com
Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...-mike-green-kaleb-johnson-donovan-jackson-lsu
Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
What are your thoughts on this three-round mock draft for the Bears?
Most Chicago Bears mock drafts are similar in that they have the Bears addressing the trenches early, and the latest from NFL.com’s Chad Reuter does just that. His mock goes a full three rounds, and he has the Bears addressing needs while staying true to the value of the board.
Our lead draft analyst, Jacob Infante, chimed in about Reuter’s mock earlier today, saying, “That would be an A+ draft in real life. I’d be ecstatic,” so what do you guys think about this one?
Some scouts feel Campbell would have to move to guard in the NFL due to arm length, but I’d like to see him given a chance to stay at tackle. His experience (31 starts at LT), athleticism, and technique make him a likely day-one contributor, even if he does need to play left guard as a rookie.
He led the nation with 17 sacks in Conference USA, but his performance at the Senior Bowl put teams on notice.
The Bears’ o-line depth needs talent, so double dipping works for me. Jackson has the size and athleticism to fit whatever Chicago’s new offense would want.
Johnson has decent speed through the hole and can break arm tackles, and Jacob tells me this is a deep running back class, so grabbing one in the third round makes sense.
Check out Reuter’s mock, and let us know if this is how you’d pick it if the actual draft fell this way.
Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...-mike-green-kaleb-johnson-donovan-jackson-lsu
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The Draft Research Project: A decade of building the trenches
Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...trenches-interior-offensive-line-guard-tackle
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Can the Bears afford to wait on drafting talent for the lines?
In 2011, the NFL shifted to a new era of rookie contracts and pay scales, changing in many ways how teams could and would build their rosters. The first ten draft classes (from 2011 through 2020) have now been able to see through their entire first contracts, including the fifth-year option afforded teams under the terms of the CBA. Excluding specialists like place kickers, punters, and long snappers, teams have drafted 2502 players in this time.
Among these men, the players drafted in the first two rounds tend to be the major contributors. Although only a quarter of the total pool of candidates, they represent 70% of the players who will earn a Pro Bowl distinction in their first five years. For more modest aspirations, nearly 500 of the 1200 players to make it at least four years and play in at least fifty games were drafted in the first two rounds. Some of this second group is because teams will tend to favor players who they invested resources in, but much of it is because the talent in the NFL draft is top heavy.
As the 2025 NFL draft draws closer, I intend to fully explore the full results of all 2500-plus of these players, grouped by position, by draft order, and by on-field outcomes. However, given the current needs of the Chicago Bears and the opportunity they enjoy by holding a pick in the top ten and a total of three picks in the top two rounds, I wanted to take a quick look at what happens when teams invest top picks (i.e. those from the first two rounds) in the trenches.
258 of the 635 picks in the first two rounds went to players on either the offensive or defensive lines, but those are not evenly spread in terms of investment. Despite the fact that there are five starting positions on the offensive line, only 110 top picks were spent on offensive linemen, versus 148 top picks spent to cover either 4- or 5-position defensive sets.
On defense, 81 picks were spent on edge rushers. That’s 13% of the top picks in the draft spent on a position that is only 9% of a starting line up. Those picks were used to find 23 players who would go on to make at least one Pro Bowl in their first five years in the league (or a 28% rate of finding a Pro Bowler, roughly the league average across all positions). However, less than half of these players (37) started in at least 40 games in their first five years. Instead, 61 played in at least 60 games. In other words, teams invested heavily in edge rushers, and while they tended to find elite players at the same average rate as other positions, they struggled to turn these picks into starters. The good news is that talent that was worth drafting in the top two rounds was almost always valuable enough to keep around.
Only 67 picks were spent of iDL, and only 25% of those made the Pro Bowl (17 picks) in their first five years. A total of 41 of these players (61%) started at least 40 games (with 48 total players making an appearance in at least 60 games). The overwhelming majority of these players (59 total) had careers of at least five years. While it was slightly harder to find impact players on the interior, in general picks spent on the inside of the defensive line resulted in starters at an average rate and players were far less likely to wash out completely compared to their peers at similar draft positions. Compared to other positions, teams seldom “wasted” picks spent on the defensive line.
On the offensive side of the ball, things are different. Only 61 picks were invested in tackles, despite the lip service given to the importance of the position, and less than 20% of them made the Pro Bowl in their first five years. However, 80% of these players would start at least 40 games, and the failure rate was still around 11%. Compared to the defensive side of the ball, tackles were safer bets at finding a starter but not as likely to pay off with a Pro Bowl appearance.
Finally, 47 high-value picks were spent on the interior of the offensive line. Despite representing 14% of a starting lineup, teams only invested 7% of their best picks in these positions. Amazingly, fifteen of these picks (32%) found Pro Bowlers. This could mean that NFL teams only spend high picks on interior offensive linemen if they are standouts, or it could mean that more teams, in fact, should invest high picks on the elite talent at these positions. Overall, 39 top draftees became regular starters here (83%), and only two failed to make it at least five years in the league. In simple terms, when teams spend top picks on the interior of the offensive line, those picks are less likely to go to waste and more likely to produce valuable players in terms of contributing or making an impact.
One final note, teams that wait to select players on the interior of the offensive line do not find elite players later on. Instead, only two multi-Pro Bowl interior offensive linemen were found after the first two rounds, which was the same total as quarterbacks, and about the same level as Edge, Wide Receiver, and Defensive backs (3 each) or interior Defensive Line, Offensive Tackle, or Linebacker (1 each). In fact, the only positions where it makes sense from the historical perspective to wait for elite talent are running back (six multi-Pro Bowlers drafted after the first two rounds) and tight end (five).
Ultimately, teams that want to see improvement on the trenches need to invest elite resources there. The Chicago Bears have those resources if they choose to fix the problems in front of them.
Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...trenches-interior-offensive-line-guard-tackle
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Waddle: Bears should not bring back Keenan Allen
Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...nan-allen-caleb-williams-rome-odunze-dj-moore
Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
Tom Waddle joins the Bears Banter Podcast!
The latest Bears Banter Podcast has dropped!
The Super Bowl is in the books, and that means all teams have pivoted to the 2025 season. Former Chicago Bears’ great and ESPN 1000’s Tom Waddle joined the podcast earlier today, and we discussed plenty of topics, from Virginia McCaskey to the ownership transition to the Super Bowl itself. We also asked him to assess the team’s top three wide receivers, and he didn’t think bringing back Keenan Allen was the best plan for the team.
“I thought they lost track of the tight end position [last year],” Waddled stated. “I don’t think he [Cole Kmet] and Caleb were on the same page at all, and I think that was the residual of throwing to Keenan as much as they did. I would wish Keenan well. He has had a fabulous career, borderline hall of fame player, I just don’t think that’s the route they need to go.”
Waddle also had great insight on other topics, so make sure you check out a great podcast!
To watch the podcast on the 2nd City Gridiron YouTube channel, you can check that out here:
To listen to the podcast, you can do that on the 2nd City Gridiron podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts or use the player below:
Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...nan-allen-caleb-williams-rome-odunze-dj-moore
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Ryan Poles and the offensive line just makes me angry
Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...angry-chicago-bears-trey-smith-darnell-wright
Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images
Ryan Poles has ignored the offensive line for three years.
The NFL Combine is underway and both Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson addressed the media down in Indianapolis and both had plenty to say about building this roster for the 2025 season.
One thing that really jumped off the page to me was when Poles addressed the offensive line, he mentioned the left tackle position and talked about how there will be competition at the position.
Ryan Poles has had this job for 37 months. If the left tackle position isn’t settled for the 2025 season, that means that after three offseasons Poles has one of the five offensive line positions settled.
ONE.
The fact that we are here entering year four is infuriating.
When Ryan Poles was hired, he said that he would implement building from the inside out, meaning he would start by drafting talent in the trenches first and then start working on the skill positions.
He has not.
Do you realize that the highest drafted interior offensive linemen he’s taken in three drafts is Zach Thomas in 2022 with the 186th pick?
He has spent decently on one interior linemen. That, of course, being Nate Davis, who, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Dan Wiederer, the coaching staff told Poles not to draft him and he still committed $20 million guaranteed to him.
He committed a top ten pick to Darnell Wright in 2023. Wright has put together two strong seasons and seems poised to build on his young career and will eventually receive a second contract from the Chicago Bears.
That’s fantastic. But that’s it. That’s the only move he’s made that’s panned out.
It’s not just that Wright is the only actual building block on the offensive line, it’s that there has been so little effort to find any others.
Even the signing of Nate Davis two years ago, it’s not like top end linemen were getting $10 million a year back then. Davis was a middle of the road signing. There have been no day two picks spend on interior offensive linemen. A third round pick on a tackle isn’t exactly a major investment either, those don’t have a high hit rate either.
After three offseasons, Poles has not made one major free agent signing, and has made one major draft investment. How is that building from the inside out?
I know Ben Johnson is here and that the offensive line investment is coming this year. It will happen. I have no doubt. But it also doesn’t usually work to just buy an entire offensive line in one offseason either. If the Bears sign three interior offensive linemen (I expect two), one of them probably won’t work out. That’s the law of averages.
I think they probably spend heavy on two linemen and make a couple draft investments in the top four rounds. But why has it taken this long?
Why is it that it took a new coach who firmly believes in a quality offensive line and that every player needs to block for the former offensive linemen GM to finally invest in this unit?
I just cannot comprehend as each offseason progressed, that Poles thought what he was doing across the line was sufficient. And don’t even get me started on Chris Morgan.
I hope Ben Johnson pressed Poles about his offenisve line approach during the interview process.
I know it’ll be better heading into 2025, so maybe I should just drop it and move on, but hearing Poles talk about how they will have competition at left tackle and thus leaving us with 20% of the OL settled entering year four of a rebuild is just enough to get your blood boiling.
Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2...angry-chicago-bears-trey-smith-darnell-wright