The 10 best tight ends in the history of the Chicago Bears

Any conversation about the history of the Chicago Bears has to include a few key names, without question. One of those names is, of course, former tight end and head coach of the Bears, Mike Ditka.

"Da Coach" will always be remembered as one of the most iconic figures in franchise history, but the man made an imprint both as a player and a coach. And, he played a position which isn't necessarily a glamorous one; at least, not all the time.

The tight end position is one which requires the player to do a multitude of things, whether it be block, catch or a combination of both, and some of the best to ever play were great at both. However, when looking at the historically-great tight ends, it's hard not to focus on one aspect over the other.

Fans love watching the great tight ends make big catches on third down, score in the red zone and become that security blanket for their quarterbacks, and the Bears have had a few of those over the years. Which ones go down as the best of the group?

Criteria for selection

These lists can sometimes get dicey, but let's define "best" largely by overall talent-level while with the Bears, combined with total production with the team as well. We're not looking at these guys' time with other teams, but solely with Chicago.

All-time numbers definitely matter, and will come into play more often than not, here. But, some of these tight ends didn't spend too long with the Bears, and thus, didn't get a chance to work their way up higher on the all-time receiving list.

Jimmy Graham, for example, spent two of his later seasons with the Bears, long after he was an All Pro or Pro Bowl level player. You won't find him on this list, but if you were to find a similar list in reference to the Saints, it would be a different story.

Just how high will a player like Greg Olsen sit, knowing the Bears shipped him off in a trade far too early in his career? That's a good question, and his position will very well be debated.

Let's get into it.

The top tight ends in Chicago Bears history

10. Greg Latta

Would you believe there was once a professional football team called the Florida Blazers? Former Chicago Bears tight end Greg Latta was originally drafted by the Blazers back in the 1974 NFL Draft, in the eighth round out of Morgan State. Just a season later, though, he was traded to the Bears in exchange for a couple of draft picks.

Latta would go on to play five seasons for the Bears, but he was never a true, focal point of the offense. Still, he sits no. 9 on the Bears' all-time tight end receiving list with 1,081 yards, also catching seven touchdowns. His best season as a pro came in 1977 when he caught 26 passes for 335 yards and four touchdowns.

9. Keith Jennings

In the fifth round of the 1989 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected wide receiver Keith Jennings out of Clemson. The Cowboys knew, right away, that they were going to convert Jennings to tight end due to his blocking skills. Jennings came into the league as one of the best blocking wideouts in the nation, which made the transition smooth.

After just one season with the Cowboys, though, Jennings would be cut and spent the next couple years between the Montreal Machine (World League of American Football) and the Denver Broncos. Then, his career really took off after signing with the Bears, spending seven years with Chicago as one of their primary blocking tight ends. Even though he was a stellar blocker, Jennings still stands no. 11 on the team's all-time tight end receiving list.

8. Ryan Wetnight

Checking in at no. 7 on the Bears' all-time tight end receiving list is Ryan Wetnight, who went undrafted out of Stanford back in the 1993 NFL Draft. Wetnight signed with the Bears that year and ultimately made the team. In fact, he ended up playing seven seasons for Chicago; pretty outstanding for an undrafted tight end.

Wetnight's best season as a pro came back in 1997 when he caught 46 of 65 targets for 464 yards and a score. One of the best moments of his career came in a thrilling 36-33 win over the Dolphins back in 1997, when Wetnight caught six of six targets for 61 yards.

In 2018, Wetnight was diagnosed with gastric cancer. Sadly, Wetnight passed in May of 2020 at the young age of 49.

7. Zach Miller

A player who will always be near and dear to the city of Chicago and Bears fans, Zach Miller endured one of the most gruesome injuries ever witnessed in the NFL. Aside from his talent on the field, he'll be mostly remembered for that scary instance. Bears fans remember it well, as Miller nearly lost his leg after tearing through his knee in a game against the New Orleans Saints back in October of 2017.

His heartwarming comeback story is a fan favorite, to this day though, and Miller remains close with the city of Chicago and the fans. The family man was fun to watch on the field and brought quite the receiving threat combined with some underrated athleticism. He only spent three years with the Bears, but Miller will forever be cherished by the fans in Chicago. Miller sits no. 8 on the team's all-time tight end receiving list with 1,161 yards.

6. Martellus Bennett

In a chapter titled, "Love him or hate him," Martellus Bennett is next up. This was a guy who didn't give a flying you-know-what when it came to others' opinions of him. He said what was on his mind, to a fault. But, he was also a talented receiving tight end. Bennett brought basketball-like skills to the position and became a favorite target of Jay Cutler's.

Although, Bennett and Cutler didn't always see eye to eye, but that's another story.

After signing with the Bears in 2013, Bennett would spend three years with Chicago and make a Pro Bowl in 2014 after he finished with a career-best 916 receiving yards on 90 receptions (also a career-high). Bennett would go on to play a season with the Patriots and Packers, and also spent time with the Cowboys and Giants prior to joining Chicago.

5. Greg Olsen

Here's a fun topic for Bears fans. Chicago drafted Greg Olsen in the first round back in the 2007 NFL Draft, and Olsen would spend four years with the Bears before heading to the Carolina Panthers in a trade because, apparently, Mike Martz didn't need tight ends.

Olsen did enjoy four decent years with the Bears, though, and sits no. 6 on the all-time tight end's receiving list in Chicago with 1,981 yards. His best season with the Bears came in 2008 when he caught 60 passes on 108 targets and wound up with a career-high eight touchdowns.

That's right, even though Olsen would go on to become a Hall of Fame type player in Carolina, he scored the most touchdowns, in a single season, with the Bears. After being dealt to the Panthers, though, Olsen would begin a stretch of five-striaght seasons of over 800 receiving yards, including three over 1,000. Olsen's final NFL season came in 2020 when he played sparingly for the Seattle Seahawks.

4. Cole Kmet

If there's ever been a shot for a player to break Mike Ditka's all-time tight end receiving mark with the Bears, Cole Kmet has had the best opportunity. The current Bears tight end already sits no. 4 all-time on that list with 2,118 career receiving yards through the 2023 campaign.

Coming to the Bears as a second-round pick back in 2020, it took Kmet a little bit to get acclimated to the league. His first two seasons saw him struggle a little bit in terms of catch percentage and overall reliability. But, he finally busted loose for seven scores in 2022 and went for a career-best 719 yards in 2023.

If health is on his side, Kmet very well could end up becoming the Bears' all-time tight end receiving leader. He is just about halfway to Ditka's. mark, and with a quarterback like Caleb Williams (hopefully) panning out to be what fans hope he can be, Kmet certainly has a good shot at making franchise history.

3. Emery Moorehead

In the sixth round of the 1977 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected Emery Moorehead out of Colorado. He would play three seasons with the Giants followed by one with the Denver Broncos, but then things changed when he became a Bear.

To start his career, Moorehead was more of a wide receiver and running back, or what was once referred to as a "flanker." But, in his second season with the Bears, Moorehead transitioned to tight end and became much more comfortable. He was used regularly for seven seasons, then, in Chicago.

Moorehead currently sits no. 2 on the Bears' all-time tight end receiving list with 2,730 yards. We'll get into why he's only no. 3 on this list, in just a bit.

Moorehead never made a Pro Bowl or was near the top of the league, but he was consistent in what he did. His best season as a Bear came in 1983 when he caught 42 passes for 597 yards and three scores.

Fun fact: In 1986, Moorehead caught his career-long pass of a whopping 85 yards.

2. Desmond Clark

Former Wake Forest standout Desmond Clark came into the league back in the 1999 NFL Draft as a sixth-round pick by the Denver Broncos. Spending three years with the Broncos, and then one with the Miami Dolphins, Clark would go on to Chicago where he spent the bulk of his career.

Clark is no. 3 on the Bears' all-time tight end receiving list with 2,639 yards, but he gets the nod ahead of Moorehead thanks to having 42 more receptions, playing 13 more games and catching four more touchdowns.

Clark went through several years without the Bears having a consistent quarterback and, unfortunately, was only able to play with Jay Cutler for two seasons. Still, he was a consistent presence in the Bears' passing game and was one of the go-to targets for all of his quarterbacks.

Clark was part of the Bears' 2006 Super Bowl roster where he caught passes from Rex Grossman, and also put up a career year with 45 receptions for 626 yards and six scores. Clark did come up with six receptions for 64 yards in Super Bowl XLI.

1. Mike Ditka

Bears fans know all about Mike Ditka, the head coach. His infamous vest, mustache and sunglasses are more than just a Halloween costume for Bears fans all over the world. You'll see the outfit sported, by at least one individual, at every Bears game each year. Ditka's entire persona is "a vibe," as the kids would say these days.

But, long before Ditka became head coach of the Bears, he was also a player in Chicago. Ditka originally came to the Bears as the fifth overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft, coming out of the University of Pittsburgh.

Iron Mike would go on to play six years in Chicago, and boy did he begin his career with a bang. Ditka would make five-straight Pro Bowl appearances beginning his rookie year, coupled with two All Pro selections sandwiched in there during the 1963 and 1964 campaigns.

His best season, statistically, actually came in his rookie year, when Ditka caught 56 passes for 1,076 yards and 12 touchdowns. That season, he averaged a whopping 19.2 yards per receptions as well, proving to be one of the best offensive weapons in all of football.

One thing people don't always mention when talking about Ditka, as a player, was the fact that this man didn't miss a single game during his stint with Chicago. He played in all 14 games, every year, with the Bears. He was as dependable as they came.

Now, he sits no. 1 all-time on the Bears' tight end receiving list with 4,503 career receiving yards.