18 Players the Chicago Bears gave up on way too soon

The Chicago Bears gave up too soon on Bobby Engram

The Chicago Bears did a decent job drafting wide receivers in the late 1990s but struggled with keeping them. Bobby Engram was taken in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. Remember, Marcus Robinson was drafted the next season and Marty Booker was drafted in 1999. This means all three were on the same roster. Not to mention, in 1993, the Chicago Bears drafted Curtis Conway. He too was on the same roster through 1999. Conway could probably be on this list of players given up on too soon as well. He had three strong seasons with the Chargers before fizzling out two years later.

Back to Bobby Engram. He played five years with the Bears. His best season came in 1998 when he caught 64 of 114 targets for 987 yards and five touchdowns. He followed that up with a nearly identical season in 1999 before only playing three games in the final year with the Bears. Engram moved on in 2001 to play for the Seattle Seahawks.

While in Seattle, Engram played eight seasons before lasting one more year at the age of 36 with the Chiefs. He was voted First-Team All-Pro in 2007 when he caught 94 balls for 1,147 yards and six touchdowns. He also received votes for Comeback Player of the Year. Engram wasn't a WR1 most seasons in Seattle, but he made a fantastic WR2. Chicago could have continued to use that type of production.