Honorable Mentions for the Chicago Bears Mount Rushmore
As I mentioned, the team has plenty of other players fans could choose from when creating their Mount Rushmore. When I created mine, Dick Butkus was not on my list as I preferred to put Brian Urlacher instead. It seems plenty of people have a couple of differences. I also wanted to put Devin Hester on my Mount Rushmore but could not put him over any of the others.
With this in mind, here are a few names that others mentioned that could be considered on a Chicago Bears version of Mount Rushmore.
Brian Urlacher
Arguably the second-best linebacker in Chicago Bears history. Yes, he is going to be put over Mike Singletary on my list. Have the Bears ever had poor linebacker play? Urlacher is more recent but also a Hall of Fame inductee who could replace Butkus on many lists.
Devin Hester
Hester deserves to make the Hall of Fame. He single-handedly changed the return game in the NFL. There was not another more prolific player outside of Walter Payton that I can remember. Whenever he touched the ball you got excited for the chance at a touchdown return.
Mike Singletary
Another middle linebacker who made the Hall of Fame playing for the Chicago Bears. He would rank number three for me when it comes to infamous Bears middle linebackers. Yes, I am going to put him over Bill George despite George being the guy who basically invented the position.
Charles Tillman
The most underrated defensive player on the Bears’ 2000s roster. Tillman was not appreciated enough as a cover corner during his time with the Bears. How many times did he go toe-to-toe against guys like Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson? Not to mention his 44 career forced fumbles.
Matt Forte
A workhorse who gets too little attention. If Tillman was under-appreciated on the defensive side of the ball, Forte was the guy on the offensive side of the ball. He was a true dual-threat and set the record for most receptions by a running back in 2014. That record did not last long though. Christian McCaffrey broke the record in 2018 and then broke his own record again in 2019.
Gale Sayers
Injuries ruined the Gale Sayers legacy, but not by much. Sayers is still often mentioned when discussing the best running backs to ever play the game. He played seven seasons for the Bears, but only played four games over his last two seasons. Like Hester, Sayers was also dangerous in the return game.
These names are not even all of the names one could turn to when discussing a Chicago Bears Mount Rushmore — Richard Dent, Dan Hampton, and more. I guess even Sid Luckman should be mentioned. When a franchise has 26 players in the Hall of Fame, no wonder choosing a top four is very difficult. Who would be on your Bears Mount Rushmore?