As a charter member of the NFL in 1920, the Chicago Bears naturally have a history unrivaled historyan. Some of that history is very good, with several NFL Championships and one very memorable Super Bowl team, and some is, of course, very forgettable.
In this space, we're going to the positive side to name the 25 greatest defensive players in Bears history. Of course, there are all kinds of candidates across franchise history, and fans of all ages can make a case for a cluster of their "guys" across the decades.
That said, several Bears defensive legends have a cemented, undisputed spot in the top five or top 10 here. It's just a matter of putting them in order, and that's where subjectivity creeps in.
Without further ado or explanation, here are the 25 greatest defensive players in Chicago Bears' history.
25 greatest defensive players in Chicago Bears history
25. DT Tommie Harris (2004-2010)
After a top-10 finish in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2004, Harris earned three straight Pro Bowl selections with a Second Team All-Pro nod in 2005.
Injuries then crept in to impact Harris's availability and effectiveness, but his key role on some pretty good Bears' defenses of his era pushes him onto this list.
24. OLB Khalil Mack (2018-2021)
Mack's tenure as a Bear didn't go as well as hoped from a team success perspective, with the high point in the first year and an erosion afterward. But he did his part, tallying 36 sacks over four seasons with overall Pro Football Focus grades that were first, 12th and second among his edge rusher peers in his first three seasons.
The Bears gave up all they did to get Mack from the Raiders with the hope he'd continue to be the game-wrecker he had been. He was absolutely as advertised, and the lack of sustained team succes wasn't his fault.
23. Donnell Woolford (1989-1996)
Woolford, listed at 5-foot-9, was not physically big, but he played much bigger, like an old school version of Antoine Winfield Sr. Over a seven-season stretch from 1990-1996, he had more than 60 total tackles five times, at least three interceptions five times and both marks in the same season three times. In his one Pro Bowl campaign, 1993, he had 101 total tackles.
Based on Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value metric, Woolford ranks 26th among Bears' defenders right now. But here, he gets some top-25 acknowlegement.
22. LB Otis Wilson (1980-1988)
Wilson was a key piece of the vaunted Bears' defense in 1985, finishing second on the team with 10.5 sacks as Buddy Ryan deployed him heavily as a blitzer. That lone Pro Bowl campaign of his career was in the midst of a four-season stretch where he had at least 6.5 sacks as a key piece of Ryan's "46" defense.
There were bigger names on that 1986 Bears team and defense. But Wilson's contribution cannot be overlooked.
21. LB Wilber Marshall (1984-1987)
Marshall only spent the first four seasons of his 12-year NFL career in Chicago, but was rarely as completely productive as he was over his three seasons as a starter for the Bears. He was the "all-around guy" in the linebacker trio at the core of the vaunted 1985 defense, with 78 total tackles, six sacks and four interceptions that season.
Marshall would earn back-to-back Pro Bowl nods in 1986 and 1987 before signing with the then-Washington Redskins as a free agent in 1988. But his place in Bears' lore is solid, even if there's a bit of "what might've been if he had stayed longer?" to his tenure in the Windy City.
20. S Mark Carrier (1990-1996)
The sixth overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft out of USC, Carrier started his career in a big way with a 122 total tackles and a league-leading 10 interceptions on his way to winning Defensive Rookie of the Year. That interception total also still stands as the Bear's single-season franchise record.
Carrier would earn two more Pro Bowl nods over the next three seasons, before his production faded and he eventually played for two more teams to finish his career. But anyone who set, and still holds, a Bears' franchise record deserves a spot on this list.
19. DE Mike Hartenstine (1975-1986)
Counting unofficial, pre-1982, totals, Hartestine is currently sixth in Bears' history with 55 sacks. His 15 forced fumbles are tied for fourth-most in franchise history, and his 179 games played are tied for fifth-most.
Hartenstine was the oldest player on the 1985 Bears' squad that won Super Bowl XX, which was a nice reward for a long and fairly distinguished career.
18. S Gary Fencik (1976-1987)
Fencik was not one of the headline-making names on the vaunted 1985 Bears' defense, but he was as integral piece as anyone else with five interceptions. Over his 12 seasons as Bear, he was selected to two Pro Bowls with two All-Pro selections (First Team in 1981).
Speaking of interceptions, Fencik is the Bears' franchise leader with 38. If pass breakups were better tabulated, or tabulated at all, during his career, he'd surely be high on that list too.
Some may argue for Fencik to be higher on this list. But it's a sign of how many great defensive players the Bears have that the franchise's all-time interception leader isn't top-15.
17. S Ritchie Petitbon (1959-1968)
Over 10 seasons with the Bears, Petitbon was selected to four Pro Bowls and with one Frst-team All-Pro nod in 1963. That same year, he clinched a 14-10 win over the New York Giants in the NFL championship game at Wrigley Field with an interception in the end zone.
Petitbon is second on the Bears' all-time list with 37 interceptions. In 1962, he led the NFL with 201 interception return yards, including a 101-yard pick-six.
16. DT Jim Osborne (1972-1984)
Osborne's 186 games as a Bear is tied for second-most among defensive players in franchise history. Sacks of course weren't an official NFL stat until late in his career, but Pro Football Reference's extensive review a few years ago gave him 81 for his career with three double-digit sack campaigns.
The unfortunate thing about Osborne's career is it ended one year before the Bears' Super Bowl win in 1985. But he gets a nod here for what he otherwise accomplished.
15. LB/DT George Connor (1948-1955)
Over eight seasons in Chicago, Connor was an All-NFL selection at three different positions (offensive tackle, defensive tackle and linebacker) and a four-time Pro Bowler while playing offensive tackle and linerbacker from 1950-1953.
Connor was named to the NFL All-Decade Team for the 1940s, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975. If we had the stats we have today during his career, the appreciation for his resume would grow.
14. DB/RB George McAfee (1940-1950)
McAfee's Hall of Fame resume was built primarily on his prowess as a running back and a return man, but he's seventh in franchise history with 25 interceptions. He also missed three of what would've been his peak years (1942-1944) to serve our country in World War II, while playing just three games in 1945 and 1946.
McAfee was one of the cornerbacks on the Bears' All-Time Defensive Team to celebrate the franchise's 100th season. That says it all, and gives him a place here.
13. OLB Joe Fortunato (1955-1966)
Another member of that Bears' All-Time Defensive Team, Fortunato was a five-time Pro Bowler over 12 seasons in Chicago. He was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1950s, and he was also named one of the top 300 players in NFL history.
Fortunato intercepted 16 passes in his career, and he is still second in franchise history with 22 forced fumbles. Those 38 takeaways are second in Bears' history, behind only Dick Butkus.
Fortunato also, in the tradition of all great Bears' defenders, missed just one game in his 12 seasons.
12. DT Steve McMichael (1981-1993)
"Mongo" is second in Bears' history in sacks with 92.5, including a run of seven straight seasons (1983-1989) where he had at last 7.5 sacks. He also rarely missed time, playing all 16 regular season games in 11 straight seasons (1983-1993), along with being a stout run defender.
Equal parts talent and personality, standing out even on a mid-80's team that was dripping with both, McMichael (R.I.P.) is one of the most memorable players in Bears' history.
11. LB Lance Briggs (2003-2014)
Briggs and another player on this list formed one of the best linebacker duos in the league for basically a decade, and in a broad sense he is overlooked in comparison to that Hall of Famer. But seven straight Pro Bowl selections (2005-2011) prove how recognized Briggg was as a run defender and coverage linebacker.
Brigg is third in Bears' history in forced fumbles and pass breakups, and second behind that decorated teammate in solo tackles. Being No. 11 on this list might feel a bit high, but Briggs deserves the spot as a modern template of a versatile linebacker.
10. CB Charles Tillman (2003-2014)
The creator of the still-replicated "Peanut Punch", in reference to his nickname, Tillman is appropriately the Bears' franchise leader in forced fumbles with 42. He's also third in franchise history with 36 interceptions, with franchise-highs in pick-sixes (eight) and pass breakups (133).
Look up "ballhawk corner" in the dictionary, and Tillman's picture is next to it. No one, arguably league-wide, did or has done what he did quite like he did it.
9. DE Ed Sprinkle (1944-1955)
Weighing in at just 206 pounds, Sprinkle would be a safety in today's NFL. He also didn't just play defense, with 32 career receptions over his 12 seasons as a Bear.
Sprinkle's totals in categories like sacks and tackles for loss obviously can't be known, but he had 12 forced fumbles and four interceptions in his career. And as Sports Illustrated noted, he was "among the most feared players of his generation and is known as one of the NFL’s hardest hitters."
The Bears also had just one losing campaign in Sprinkle's 12 seasons, with an NFL Championship in 1946. He finally got into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, posthumously of course, in 2020.
8. LB Clyde Turner (1940-1952)
As was common in his era, "Bulldog" was a two-way star, playing center and linebacker for the Bears with equal excellence.
Turner earned seven First Team All-Pro selections and four Pro Bowl nods during his career. In 1942, he led the NFL with eight interceptions.
Turner was also a key contributor to winning, as the Bears went to five NFL Championship Games and won four over his 13 seasons.
7. DT Dan Hampton (1979-1990)
The 1985 Bears' defense is of course very well-represented here, and Hampton is another worthy inclusion.
Hampton is third in franchise history in sacks, officially (1982 and after) with 57 or otherwise with 82. In PFR's Approximate Value, he has the fourth-best mark in team history (125) and is the third-ranked defensive player.
6. LB Brian Urlacher (2000-2012)
Urlacher made the transition from college safety to NFL linebacker with aplomb, retaining defensive back-like skills to uniquely put his stamp on the Bear's legacy at middle linebacker.
Urlacher earned a Pro Bowl selection in six of his first seven seasons, highlighted by winning Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2000, four First Team All-Pro nods (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006) and a Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2005.
As will become a common theme from here on, Urlacher would be higher on the list of greatest defensive players for a lot of franchises. But the history the Bears have a middle linebacker pushes him just out of the top-five here.
5. DE Doug Atkins (1955-1966)
Atkins is easily tabbed as one of the most feared defenders in Bears' history, which says a lot. Being so intimidating came easily too, as he naturally cut an imposing figure standing 6-foot-8.
Atkins of course played before sacks were an official NFL stat, but Pro Football Reference's unofficial review from 1960 onward gave him 94.5 for his career and 64.5 as a Bear (unofficially fifth in franchise history). If it was possible to find what he did during his three Pro Bowl seasons as a Bear before 1960, that unofficial sack total would likely be a whole lot more.
4. LB Bill George (1952-1965)
Considered by many to be the first great middle linebacker in the NFL, George actually started his career as a middle guard (nose tackle in modern football parlance) before moving to linebacker so he could be impactful in pass coverage.
Over 14 seasons as a Bear, George earned a matching eight Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro nods. In seven straight seasons (1955-1961), he earned both honors. His 18 career interceptions were unique for his time, and his 17 fumble recoveries as a Bear are still top-five among defenders in franchise history.
If he had played the position he played for another team, George might be even higher on a list of the best defensive players in that franchise's history. The Bears' legacy of excellence at middle linebacker started with him though, which gives him this lofty spot.
3. LB Mike Singletary (1981-1992)
Singletary was the literal center and pulse of the 1985 Bears' defense that led the way, all the way, to a win in Super Bowl XX.
Equal parts smart, skilled, intense and physical, "Samurai Mike" spent all 12 seasons of his career in a Bears' uniform (1981-1992). He earned 10 consecutive Pro Bowl nods (1983-1992), with seven First Team All-Pro selections overlapping with that run. He also won two Defensive Player of the Year Awards (1985 and 1988).
Like George, if not for someone else who played his position, Singletary might be even higher on this list.
2. DE Richard Dent (1983-1993, 1995)
The Bears' franchise leader in sacks with 124.5, Dent led the league with 17 sacks during the aforementioned epic 1985 season. He had six sacks during that postseason run, including 1.5 in the Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots on his way to being named MVP of the game.
1985 was also Dent's second straight season with at least 17 quarterback takedowns, as he had at least 10.5 sacks in eight of 10 seasons from 1984 to 1993.
Dent's award and accolade resume feels light for one of the best defensive ends of his era, with four Pro Bowl selections and one First Team All-Pro nod. But Bears' fans who watched him know what a force he was, and those who are too young to remember when he played have surely been told of his exploits.
1. LB Dick Butkus (1965-1973)
Butkus is the easy No. 1 on this list, which says everything about him. Over an injury-truncated nine-year career, he earned eight Pro Bowl nods and five First Team All-Pro selections. He also earned a spot on not one, but two NFL All-Decade Teams, for both the 1960's and the 1970's.
Butkus and fellow Hall of Famer Deacon Jones were cut from the same "no holds barred" cloth when it came to physical play. So this kind of praise from Jones, the most well-known author of the head-slap pass rush move before it was outlawed, stands out.
"Dick was an animal", Jones said. "I called him a maniac. A stone maniac. He was a well-conditioned animal, and every time he hit you, he tried to put you in the cemetery, not the hospital."
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For those who have followed him playing the position in a Bears uniform and across the NFL in the decades since his career ended, Butkus set the standard for what a middle linebacker should be — as highly skilled as he was intimidating.
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