Chicago Bears: Ranking the top ten Chicago Bears of the 2000s

1. Brian Urlacher, LB (2000-2012)

Were you expecting anyone else here?

Newly-enshrined Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher spent his entire career as a middle linebacker for the Bears, a position he called “the most coveted defensive position in pro football for a defensive player” in his induction speech.

Incidentally, the Bears were seriously considering playing Urlacher at safety after drafting him ninth overall in 2000. Urlacher was an All-American safety during his college career at the University of New Mexico, so the Bears had initially planned on playing him there.

Fortunately, they decided to play Urlacher at the middle linebacker position. Yeah, it’s probably safe to say that that decision paid off.

Urlacher was one of the most loved Bears of all-time and a model of consistency for essentially his whole career. His popularity was always evident around Chicago and even around the country as his jersey was regularly a top-seller for well over a decade.

Urlacher’s resume is enough to put him in the same conversation as fellow Hall of Fame linebackers like Butkus and Singletary. He has more tackles than any other Bear in franchise history and was one of six Bears linebackers named to the list of greatest linebackers in football history.