The 2023 NFL preseason is only a handful of days away, and as always, it will kick off with the annual Hall of Fame game in Canton.
Along with the game, the week also marks the enshrinement of this year’s class of Hall of Fame inductees. While no Bears will hear the names called this year, the event does bring attention to the number of Bears who could be in the coming years.
The Hall of Fame is the most prestigious honor in the sport and is reserved for the best of the best. However, the exact criteria are open-ended. What constitutes a Hall of Fame career largely depends on who you ask. Accolades, team success, and stats all play a role, but how they should all be weighed in accordance with one another is less than certain.
The imprecise requirements lead to many fans feeling their player got snubbed, and Bears fans have made their complaints over the committee’s selections over the years well known.
Chicago Bears Honorable mention: Charles Tillman
Unfortunately, Charles Tillman’s Hall of Fame case felt like too much of a stretch to put him in the top five. The ultimate problem for Tillman is that the majority of Hall of Famer voters take a rather abstract approach to assessing which players do and don’t get into Canton. Most of it comes down to accolades, and two Pro Bowl appearances and one first-team All-Pro selection aren’t enough to suffice.
Still, those who watched Tillman at his peak would concede that he was a far more impactful player than a quick search of Pro Football Reference would suggest. Ultimately, while Tillman’s HOF induction is unlikely, his patented “Peanut Punch” will allow his name to live on long past his career like many of its members.
Editor's Note: Charles Tillman deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.