20 best wide receivers in the history of the Chicago Bears

The wide receiver has become one of the most glorified positions in all of football, and in many cases, we wouldn't see nearly the level of quarterback play out of the greats if it weren't for some top-notch talents catching passes from those gunslingers.

When it comes to the Chicago Bears, the league's oldest franchise, it's an organization that hasn't had the longevity or top-tier production at the wide receiver position -- but fans continue to be hopeful.

Despite a lack of long-tenured and productive wide receivers, the Bears have had a wide array of talents and personalities come through. But, which of them can call themselves the best in Chicago Bears history?

It all depends upon how one views the criteria for such a label.

Criteria for selection

When talking about the wide receiver position, of course there are a couple of aspects which take the cake: receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Receptions are also important, but it's about moving the chains and scoring points.

The overall production cannot be ignored when creating a list like this, but we also try to take into account the impact made on the team, as well.

A few notable names might come to mind when thinking about overall numbers and/or impact on the team, such as Walter Payton or Devin Hester. However, let's remember that Payton played running back, and while he currently remains no. 4 on the all-time receiving list, he does not appear on our all-time wide receiver countdown. As for Hester, he makes an appearance, but made most of his impact as a return man.

A couple of these receivers' leadership and character comes into play when figuring out where they land on this list. While overall talent might be there, a lack of longevity, production and character might also influence their ranking a bit.

As they say, stats don't lie. So, when rubber meets the road, numbers take precedent when giving credit where credit is due.

The top wide receivers in Chicago Bears history

20. Darnell Mooney

Checking in at no. 20 on our list is former fifth-round pick Darnell Mooney, who came to Chicago by way of Tulane in the 2020 NFL Draft. Mooney stood out enough, as a rookie, to warrant significant playing time and wound up surpassing 600 yards as a rookie.

That led him to eventually overtake Allen Robinson as the favorite target for a myriad of Bears quarterbacks and ultimately become Justin Fields' go-to guy for a bit. His best season came in Fields' rookie year, when the second-year pro turned in 81 receptions for 1,055 yards and four scores. Mooney's career-long catch went for 64 yards during that 2021 season, as well.

19. Marcus Robinson

The Bears have a history of liking wide receivers out of South Carolina, and Marcus Robinson is a perfect example, coming to Chicago as a fourth-round pick back in the 1998 NFL Draft. Robinson sits 24th on the Bears' all-time receiving list with 2,695 yards and 20 scores.

After the 1999 season, Bears fans thought this team may have been witnessing a guy who could go on to become the franchise's leading receiver. Robinson caught 84 passes for an even 1,400 yards and nine touchdowns. However, he would only go on to total roughly 1,200 yards over the next three seasons in Chicago.

18. Devin Hester

We could talk and write for hours about the legend that is Devin Hester, but again, this is about wide receivers, not return specialists. Hester is a Hall of Fame player because of his impact on the return game, but some might have forgotten that he did play a bit of receiver during his stint in Chicago.

Hester checks in at no. 21 on the Bears' all-time receiving list and went through a three-year stretch where he averaged over 600 receiving yards per season, which is not half bad for a guy who came into the league as a defensive back and ultimately switched positions.

The year he was an All Pro returner for the Bears, back in 2007 was also the year he saw his career-long reception take place -- an impressive 81-yard haul.

17. Bill McColl

A third-round pick back in the 1952 NFL Draft, Bill McColl played his college ball at Stanford and went on to spend his entire professional career with the Bears. Like many older players, McColl played multiple positions and was known as either an "end" or "flanker" during his time in the league. McColl did not make a Pro Bowl or an All Pro team over his career.

Mostly, he was a receiver, for lack of a better term. McColl never ended a season with more than 517 receiving yards and only topped the 500-yard mark twice, in fact. But, he enjoyed an eight-year career with the Bears which saw him accumulate 2,815 receiving yards and lands him in the top 20 on Chicago's all-time receiving list. He also caught 25 scores.

16. Bobby Engram

In the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft, Bobby Engram was selected by these Bears out of Penn State. He would go on to play five years in Chicago to start his career, which lasted all the way until 2009. In Chicago, Engram tallied 246 receptions for 2,831 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Two of his three most productive seasons, throughout his entire career, came with the Bears in consecutive years. Back in 1998 and 1999, Engram ended his seasons with over 900 receiving yards, good for the second and third-most in a season of his career. During that '98 season, Engram notched his career-long reception which went for 79 yards.

15. Dennis McKinnon

Coming in at no. 15 on our list and no. 18 on the Bears all-time receiving list is Dennis McKinnon, who played his college ball at Florida State and ultimately went on to see himself undrafted. His chance came with the Bears after the conclusion of the 1983 NFL Draft. McKinnon played for the Bears from 1983 to 1989 but missed the entire 1986 season due to injury.

You could argue McKinnon's best season was either back in 1985 when he caught 31 passes for 555 yards and seven touchdowns or the 1988 campaign where he ended with 45 receptions for 704 yards and three scores.

14. Wendell Davis

The positive? Wendell Davis was a first-round pick back in 1998 and spent his entire career in Chicago. The negative? Three of his six seasons as a pro saw him catch a grand total of 58 passes, combined. He was a larger part of the offense between 1991-1992, though, when Davis totaled 115 receptions for 1,679 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

Davis still checks in at no. 17 on the team's all-time receiving list with 3,000 yards, but again, the majority of those came between two seasons. His career-long reception went for 75 yards and also happened to come in the best season of his career in 1991. The LSU product didn't exactly live up to his draft billing, but did provide the Bears with modest production for a few years.

13. Jim Keane

A true midwesterner, Jim Keane played his college ball at Iowa and Northwestern before being selected in the 18th round of the 1945 NFL Draft. He played from 1946-1952, with all but one season coming in Chicago. That lone and final season? Keane spent it in Green Bay.

Back in 1947, Keane was the league-leader in receptions with 64, which shows just how far the game has come since then. That season was, by far, his best as a pro, finishing with 910 receiving yards and 10 scores. Keane comes in at no. 16 on the Bears' all-time receiving list with 3,031 yards.

12. Jim Dooley

Jim Dooley is another one of a handful of players on this list to play more than one position, and on the all-time receiving list (regardless of position), he slots in at no. 15 with 3,172 yards. The former first-round pick back in 1952 played for the University of Miami (FL) before spending his full professional career with the Bears.

His two best seasons, overall, came consecutively back in 1953 and 1954 when he caught a total of 87 passes for 1,499 yards and 11 touchdowns. From 1952 to 1961, he only tallied three seasons with multiple touchdown catches, believe it or not. Yet, he still makes an appearance among a group such as this.

11. James Scott

Originally selected by the New York Jets in the 8th round of the 1975 NFL Draft, James Scott made quite the name for himself, all things considered. Scott played at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, TX yet still wound up making it to the league.

He played for the Bears from 1976-1983 and finds himself at no. 14 on the all-time receiving list with 3,202 yards. One of the most impressive parts about Scott's career? He averaged an impressive 18.1 yards per reception, which would be nearly impossible to do in today's game. In fact, twice he ended a season with over 19.0 yards per reception on a minimum of 25 catches.

10. Allen Robinson

When Allen Robinson signed with the Chicago Bears during the 2018 free agency period, fans thought, for sure, they would get to see the all-time receiving record ultimately broken. After all, Robinson totaled almost 2,300 yards and 20 receiving touchdowns in the two healthy seasons before joining the Bears.

In the end, Robinson played four seasons in Chicago and sits no. 11 all-time with 3,561 receiving yards. He also scored 18 touchdowns through the air. Robinson became the favorite target of Mitchell Trubisky for a couple of years before the lack of effort started to show up on tape.

After being an exciting, promising free agent signing and going over 1,000 yards two years in a row, Robinson fell off in a massive way in 2021. Fans complained of him jogging routes, failing to block and simply looking like he was disinterested. It isn't any wonder why his career completely crashed and burned from there.

9. Dick Gordon

Back in the 1965 NFL Draft, the Bears selected Dick Gordon out of Michigan State in the 7th round. He played in Chicago through the 1969 season and did a little bit of everything for the Bears. As a receiver, he ranks no. 12 on the all-time receiving list. But, he did much more than catch passes.

Gordon was also a kick returner for the Bears and finished his career averaging 24.4 yards on 79 career returns. During the 1966 season, Gordon's career-best 94-yard return would go on to be the longest of anyone in the NFL that year.

His best season came in 1970 when Gordon caught 71 passes for 1,026 yards and 13 touchdowns. All three of those were career highs for Gordon, whose touchdown receptions also led the NFL that year. That 1970 campaign saw Gordon voted to the NFL's First Team All Pro as well as his first of two career Pro Bowls.

8. Ken Kavanaugh

We now find our way inside the top-10 on the Bears' all-time receiving list, where Ken Kavanaugh checks in right at 10, with 3,626 career receiving yards. Kavanaugh was a third-round pick, by the Bears, out of LSU back in the 1940 NFL Draft. He would go on to play his entire career with Chicago, like many of his peers on this list.

Maybe Kavanaugh's most impressive feat was the fact that he ended his pro career with a whopping 22.4 yards per reception. Try doing that in today's league, and you'd be very hard-pressed to do so. Twice he would go on to lead the NFL in touchdowns, with 13 in 1947 and nine in 1949 -- another not-so-subtle hint as to how the game has changed.

In Kavanaugh's first two seasons, he earned his only two Pro Bowl nods, despite his production only ascending later on in his career. Kavanaugh's career-long reception of 81 yards came during the 1947 season.

7. Brandon Marshall

The infamous trade which saw the Bears swap a pair of third-round picks in exchange for Brandon Marshall was once called "highway robbery," and the majority of Bears fans would have had to agree with Michael Wilbon's sentiment.

After one season, this time, it looked as if the Bears' all-time receiving number was going to eventually be shattered by Marshall. He would go on to catch a career-high 118 passes (on 192 targets) for 1,508 yards and 11 scores en route to an All Pro selection, as well as a Pro Bowl nod.

Marshall sits just 13th all-time on the Bears' receiving list, though, with 3,524 yards in three seasons with Chicago. His hot temper and up-and-down relationship with quarterback Jay Cutler became too much for the Bears to handle, and the team would move on from him after the 2014 season. Despite only lasting three years, Marshall did provide fans with some incredible moments and fun seasons as he paired up nicely with Alshon Jeffery, who we'll get to in a bit.

6. Marty Booker

One of the more consistent wide receivers the Bears have ever seen also played on some real bad teams in Chicago. Marty Booker came to the Bears as a third-round pick back in the 1999 NFL Draft after playing college ball at La-Monroe. He sits no. 8 on the team's all-time receiving list with 3,895 yards.

Booker would play five seasons in Chicago up until leaving for the Miami Dolphins after the 2003 season, but he did make a return to spend the 2008 season with the team. The best stretch of his career came between 2001-2002 when he topped the 1,000-yard mark in both seasons, totaling 197 receptions and 14 touchdowns.

Booker made his only Pro Bowl after the 2002 season where he finished with a career-best 1,189 yards. In a long line of receivers who seemed to provide just a couple of very productive seasons, Booker was a fan favorite. He was a guy who simply did what you expected him to do -- catch the ball and run sufficient routes.

5. Willie Gault

Willie Gault might find himself just behind Booker on the Bears' all-time receiving list, but the two are close enough where it makes sense to put Gault ahead of Booker on this list. Why? It's pretty simple: Gault is a Super Bowl champion.

He did play six less games than Booker, finishing 245 career yards behind career-wise, but Gault did score more touchdowns (27 versus 25 for Booker). All of that taken into consideration, with the big reason coming due to being a champion, Gault starts out our top five all-time Bears receivers.

The first-round pick back in the 1983 NFL Draft came out of Tennessee as a true speedster. This guy was a track star, and he carried that speed into the NFL. Crazy enough, Gault finished averaging over 20 yards per reception in three separate seasons with the Bears (minimum 33 receptions).

The best year of his Bears career came as a rookie, when Gault hauled in 40 passes for 836 yards and eight scores. It was also the year which saw him notch his career-long reception of 87 yards. Gault would average less than three catches per game with the Bears, but he was a guy who made them count. The man was pure, raw speed; a fun one to watch, that's for sure.

4. Curtis Conway

Not to say Curtis Conway, or Willie Gault, or any of the other former first-round wide receivers were bad players. But, Conway is yet another first-round wideout who wouldn't quite live up to the hype. Now, there's also an argument to be made that the Bears' lack of talent at quarterback has forever hurt their prized receiver prospects, but that's a topic for a different day.

All things considered, Curtis Conway was a very good player in this league and had a nice, long career spanning from 1993-2004. It started out with Chicago after he was selected no. 7 overall out of USC back in 1993. He sits no. 6 on the all-time franchise receiving list with 4,498 yards.

Conway's best years as a Bear came between 1995-1996 when he saw a combined 260 targets, hauling in 143 passes for 2,086 yards and 16 touchdowns. Despite going over 1,000 yards in both seasons, Conway wasn't selected to a Pro Bowl. In fact, he never received the honor over his entire career, even after the '95 season which saw him catch a career-best 12 touchdowns.

Fun fact: Conway ended his Bears career just six yards away from surpassing Mike Ditka on the all-time franchise receiving list.

3. Alshon Jeffery

Just one more season in Chicago, and Alshon Jeffery likely would have ended his Bears career as the franchise's all-time leading receiver. Instead, he was allowed to leave via free agency where he wound up with the Philadelphia Eagles, and sadly, his career would slowly deteriorate after that. But, this is about the Bears.

In Chicago, Jeffery was a big play waiting to happen around every corner. The guy was part of Chicago's "twin towers" with he and Brandon Marshall, and for a little while, the offense was relatively fun to watch. With an arm like Jay Cutler's, Jeffery and Marshall fit in perfectly. Cutler often threw it up for either one to go get, and many times, Jeffery would come down with a spectacular grab along the sideline or the corner of the end zone.

Jeffery sits no. 3 all-time on the Bears' receiving list with 4,549 yards. He came into the league as a second-round pick out of South Carolina back in 2012 and would burst onto the scene in Year 2, with career highs in receptions (89) and receiving yards (1,421). That season also saw him average an impressive 16.0 yards per catch and would end up being his only Pro Bowl season.

2. Harlon Hill

Harlon Hill was another one of those guys who played multiple positions back in his day, including defensive back, and he checks in as the Bears' second-leading receiver of all-time with 4,616 yards. Now that we have made our way to the top two, it becomes even more of a conversation of "when will someone break the record?"

But, we cannot overshadow the talent of these two guys. Hill was a talented player who did a lot for the Bears. And, it is a true accomplishment for a player to have lined up in so many areas for the Bears and still remain so high up on the all-time receiving list, regardless of what era he played in.

Even more impressive, Hill came to the Bears as a 15th round selection in the 1954 NFL Draft. Yes, this is another example of a guy who made a name for himself back when there were far more rounds to work through in the draft, and Hill was able to not just make the team, but make a lasting impact.

Arguably the most notable accomplishment of Hill's career, aside from his two All Pro selections and three Pro Bowls, was the fact that he ended his career averaging a whopping 20.4 yards per reception. Twice he would lead the league in yards per catch, with some eye-popping averages -- a career-best 25.0 yards per reception as a rookie and then 24.0 just two seasons later. In his first two seasons, Hill would also lead the NFL in touchdown receptions.

1. Johnny Morris

At long last, we come to the Bears' all-time leading receiver, Johnny Morris, who sits atop the board with 5,059 yards and is the only player in franchise history to top the 5,000-yard mark. His career mark has stood for almost 60 years now, and although fans could sit back and wonder how in the world it hasn't yet been broken, we're going to take the opposite approach for now and highlight some of his accomplishments.

Morris is another one of those players who made a big impact even though he was drafted late. Coming out of UC Santa Barbara, Morris was drafted in the 12th round back in 1958 and would go on to spend his entire 10-year career with the Bears.

Even though he sits atop the Bears' all-time receiving list, Morris also played multiple positions. He was more of a flanker and running back, lining up in different spots. Think about him being what you might now see as a Deebo Samuel type; someone who could offer use as a running back and a receiver, and do it at a high level.

Morris rushed for a total of 1,040 yards between just his first four seasons as a pro, finding the end zone five times on the ground. He also contributed in the receiving game, but it wasn't until his fifth season that he became an integral part of the team's passing attack.

Between 1962-1965, Morris would top 700 receiving yards at minimum, in each season. His best year came in 1964 when he led the NFL in receptions (93), receiving yards (1,200) and receiving touchdowns (10). Yes, you read that correctly. There was a time when a Bears wide receiver led the NFL in all three major categories.

Although he never made it to the Hall of Fame, Morris did enjoy a Pro Bowl nod, an All Pro selection and was a one-time NFL champion.