Building a 20-0 all-time Bears team

The Chicago Bears have had some legendary players throughout franchise history. Unfortunately, they only have the one Super Bowl victory to show for it. But that does not take away from the accomplishments of the incredible players who have suited up for Chicago over the years.

Could a team of the best all-time Bears players hold up against over all-time teams in the NFL?

Here is one option for building the best all-time Bears team that would be capable of having a perfect 20-0 season.

Quarterback: Sid Luckman

Caleb Williams could easily pass Luckman if he has a long and productive career. But at this point in his career, he cannot hold a candle to the Bears legend.

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Luckman played 12 season in Chicago and became the first quarterback to perfect the T-formation offense. Still, Luckman was one of the most productive passers in Bears franchise history. He ended his career with 14,686 passing yards and 137 touchdowns.

Under Luckman’s leadership, the Bears won four NFL championships and came close to making it five.

Luckman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the class of 1965.

Running back: Walter Payton, Gale Sayers

It’s impossible to pick just one.

“Sweetness” is unquestionably one of the greatest running backs in NFL history. Payton ranks second in all-time rushing yards with 16,726 and sixth in rushing touchdowns at 110.

Payton would likely become the focal point of this fictional Chicago offense. He could really do some damage behind a Hall of Fame-littered offensive line (more on them soon.)

Putting someone like Sayers in a rotational role behind Payton shows just how blessed the Bears have been over the years at running back.

Fullback: Bronko Nagurski

Chicago is historically a run-heavy team, having a fullback on the roster makes sense purely for that reason alone.

But there’s also the simply fact that Nagurski is an NFL legend who cannot be ignored.

Nagurski gives this team another legitimate rushing threat. But more importantly, it gives them one of the best blocking fullbacks ever to play the sport.

Wide receiver: Johnny Morris, Brandon Marshall

Morris spent his entire career in Chicago and accomplished some incredible feats.

He is currently the franchise leader in career receiving yards with 5,059. Morris also led the NFL in both receptions (93) and receiving yards (1,200) during the 1964 season.

Morris would make an incredible inside-outside WR2 in this fictional Bears offense.

Marshall won his spot on this list because of the insane highs he reached during his short time in Chicago.

In 2012, Marshall set the franchise’s single-season receptions record with 118. He turned those receptions into 1,508 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.

It is fun to imagine what else Marshall could have accomplished in Chicago with better quarterback play.

Tight end: Mike Ditka

Ditka was the first great in-line tight end who was a legitimate receiving threat.

The legendary tight end made a splash as a rookie, logging 1,076 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns as a rookie. That would be elite production for a rookie tight end today and is even more impressive in the 1960s.

Ditka would be a monster in a modern NFL offense after decades of perfecting the receiving role for tight ends.

Offensive line

• Left tackle: Jimbo Covert
• Left guard: Dan Fortmann
• Center: Clyde “Bulldog” Turner
• Right guard: Stan Jones
• Right tackle: Joe Stydahar

All five players on the offensive line are Hall of Famers.

This incredible unit would be able to hold their own against any all-time defensive line. Chicago had plenty of other incredible offensive lineman throughout the team’s history. That means our fictional team has incredible depth on the o-line too.

Imagine the holes they could open for Payton to run through!

Defensive tackle: Steve McMichael, Dan Hampton

McMichael and Hampton both played huge roles on Chicago’s all-time great 1985 defense.

Both are Hall of Famers and simply cannot be picked against. Even players like Williams “Refrigerator” Perry cannot hold a candle to these guys.

There would be no running against the interior of this hypothetical Bears defense.

Defensive end: Khalil Mack, Richard Dent

Dent is another member of the 1985 defense. He was a four-time Pro Bowler who played a whopping 15 seasons in the NFL.

Sacking the quarterback was the name of the game for Dent. He finished his career with 137.5 sacks, which was third all-time behind Reggie White and Bruce Smith when Dent retired.

Dent played with ideal size at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds. That build would be perfect even in the modern NFL.

Meanwhile, there’s a reason why Chicago traded for Mack in the first place.

Mack logged 12.5 sacks in his first season as a Bears and it was just the third-highest mark of his career. He also logged 15 sacks in 2015 and 17 in 2023.

The 35-year-old edge rusher is still playing at a pretty high level. He adds some more juice to this fierce defensive front.

Linebacker: Brian Urlacher, Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary

Urlacher, Butkus, and Singletary are some of the first names that come to mind for many fans when thinking of legendary Bears players.

Forget the exact positions that each linebacker who play alongside one another. As a collective unit, they would be incredible against the run. Urlacher’s incredible combination of size and speed gives this unit some nice coverage skills as well.

Don’t throw the ball over the middle of the field against these guys.

Cornerback: Charles Tillman, Leslie Frazier

Tillman permanently made his mark on the NFL by perfecting the “Peanut Punch.” He logged 44 forced fumbles during his 13-year career and became an icon for every cornerback since to live up to.

Frazier could be an excellent choice to play opposite of Tillman.

Many fans will know Frazier from his coaching career in the NFL. But he was an incredible defensive back before suffering a career-ending knee injury in Super Bowl XX.

Frazier logged 20 interceptions during his first five seasons. It is easy to wonder how good of a player he could have been if he stayed healthy.

For the purposes of this exercise, Frazier is healthy and is the perfect complement to Tillman.

Safety: Gary Fencik, George McAfee

Fencik is an ideal playmaker behind all of the studs in this team’s front seven. He logged 38 interceptions, four sacks, and five forced fumbles throughout his 12 year career.

Let him patrol the secondary as a ballhawk and good things will happen.

Meanwhile, McAfee was a do-it-all player for the Bears. In fact, his defensive production can sometimes feel like a forgotten part of his game, overshadowed by his offensive production.

Still, McAfee logged 25 career interceptions and could probably excel in any secondary role this team needs him to play. Plus he could moonlight on the offensive side of the ball Travis Hunter style.

Kicker: Robbie Gould

Gould was an institution in Chicago during the late 2000s and early 2010s.

The legendary kicker started his career with the Bears in 2005 and played in Chicago for 11 of his 18 seasons in the NFL.

Gould made 447 field goals during that span with a career percentage of 86.5%. He nailed 36 field goals of 50+ yards, including his career long of 58 yards.

Gould even stepped in and made five punts during his career. That gives this team extra depth at punter, not that it matters much.

Punter: Brad Maynard

Maynard may not hold many single-season records in Chicago, but his career stats speak for themselves.

He played 10 seasons in Chicago from 2001-2010 and littered his name across the franchise’s history books. Maynard holds franchise records for most career punts (816), punt yards (34,960),and punts downed inside the 20-yard line (284).

Other punters may have a bigger leg, but Maynard was incredibly consistent. That makes this an incredibly easy pick.

Return specialist: Devin Hester

Hester is the best return specialist in the history of the NFL.

He had an incredible career in Chicago where he played both wide receiver and return kicks. Hester ended up becoming known for his incredible special teams abilities.

Hester finished his career with 315 punt returns for 3,695 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also added 295 kickoff returns for 7,333 yards and five touchdowns. And this pretty much glossing over his 3,311 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns on offense.

Hester becomes the WR3, return specialist, and all-around gadget player that this fictional Bears team needs.

Head coach: George Halas

This had to be “Papa Bear”

Halas did it all for the Bears. He founded the franchise and coached the team for a whopping 40 season. That kind of longevity is simply unheard of in the modern NFL.

But Halas did not simply survive as a head coach. Instead, he was downright dominant. His all-time coaching record is 324-151-31 including the postseason. That kind of efficiency is phenomenal considering how long he coached.

This hypothetical Bears team would have an excellent chance at going 20-0 with Halas calling the shots.