Chicago Bears: Building The All-Time Free Agent Roster
By Erik Lambert
The Chicago Bears aren’t going to win the Super Bowl through free agency, but they know better than most teams how valuable the market can be.
In fact, if one were to construct a starting lineup at every position of free agents the Bears have signed over the years, people might be surprised at how good of a roster it would end up being. So that’s exactly what follows here. It’s a simple breakdown with the top free agent name pinned to each major position. Note there are some who’s who names and a few that might shock some people for how obscure they end up being. Let us start on offense.
- QB: Erik Kramer
- RB: Thomas Jones
- TE: Emery Moorehead
- WR: Muhsin Muhammad
- OT: John Tait
- OG: Ruben Brown
- C: Roberto Garza
There’s a lot to like about this group and it should be an homage to former GM Jerry Angelo. He’s the one who signed more than half the names on this roster. He secured Jones, Brown, and Tait in 2004 alone. Jones became a stud at running back while Brown reached the Pro Bowl. Garza arrived a year later as did Muhammad. All helped the Bears reach Super Bowl XLI. Kramer is still, to this day the record holder for most passing yards and touchdowns in a single season for a Chicago quarterback. Moorehead quietly put together a strong run in the 1980s.
Defense and special teams work were even better
- DE: Julius Peppers
- DT: Steve McMichael
- OLB: Sam Acho
- ILB: Danny Trevathan
- CB: Tim Jennings
- S: Gary Fencik
Now, this is a list to be proud of. Then again it’s not surprising. Chicago is always about defense. Still, that tandem up front alone would be devastating. Peppers is going into the Hall of Fame one day and reached three Pro Bowls in his brief four-year stint with Chicago. McMichael collected 92.5 sacks during a long, productive run. Linebacker hasn’t produced much for them but the secondary lives up to the billing. Jennings reached two Pro Bowls at corner while Fencik did the same at safety while also winning the Super Bowl.
- K: Robbie Gould
- P: Brad Maynard
Not to be outdone, Angelo also did great work on special teams during his peak year. He secured the greatest kicker in Bears history by signing Robbie Gould in 2005. Brad Maynard was one of his first big scores back in 2001 and remains one of the most underrated additions the franchise has ever made. Consider how poor the punting has been in Chicago since he left. All things being equal, a lot of fans would love if this roster could be made real.