Was this the Bears best offseason ever?

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The Bears acquisition of LB, Kahlil Mack caps a huge offseason for the team.  Mack ranks as the Bears biggest offseason in years.  I’m trying to think of the last time the Bears picked up a player of Mack’s magnitude and I believe I have to go back to Brian Urlacher to come up with a comparable player.  Of course, nobody knew Urlacher would be a hall of famer when the Bears drafted him.  Mack is a proven commodity.  

Other big names in years gone by

The Bears did get a boost when they picked up Julius Peppers as a free agent prior to the 2010 season.  Julius was a bit past his prime when the Bears signed him as but he still  made a difference.  Jay Cutler was supposed to be a franchise QB, and he was.  It just wasn’t a good franchise when he was the QB.

More than just Kahlil Mack

Of course, Mack is just the capper on a boatload of talent.  Bears first round pick, LB Roquan Smith, should also be a staple of the Bears defense for years to come.  James Daniels was the Bears second round pick and figures to get some play in the interior of the Bears offensive line. That’s especially true now that the Bears have cut Hronis Grasu.  Grasu was the Bears third round pick in the 2015 draft and represents a fairly glaring swing and a miss.  The Bears did the right thing in moving on from him.

After the 2017 season, it was painfully apparent the Bears were in desperate need of receivers for Mitch Trubisky.  The free agent signings of Allen Robinson, Gabriel Taylor and TE, Trey Burton addressed that issue.  The drafting of Anthony Miller and to a lesser extent, Javon Wims have made the Bears receiving corps an area of strength.

The Bears also drafted help and LB and the defensive line, but for now those picks look to add some depth at best.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  So this offseason looks great for the Bears, but how about past years.

Two hall of famers in 1965, what happened?

The gold standard for Bears drafts is probably the 1965 draft.  That year they picked up two hall of famers, Dick Butkus and Gayle Sayers.  They also added a pretty good WR, Dick Gordon.  They drafted some other outstanding players in the 1965 draft, but lost them to the AFL.  Defensive lineman Steve deLong signed with the Chargers and RB, Jim Nance signed with the Patriots.

You might wonder why the Bears were not more successful after the 1965 draft.  A look a subsequent Bears drafts answers that question.

Was 1983 the best Bears draft ever?

The 1985 Bears are universally recognized as one of the best, if not the best team in NFL history.  The 1983 draft had a lot to do with building that team.  The 1983 Bears draft yielded offensive left tackle, Jim Covert, speedy WR, Willie Gault and offensive linemen Tom Thayer and Mark Bortz. The Bears defensive received help in the form of HOF defensive end, Richard Dent, along with defensive backs, Dave Duerson and Mike Richardson.  That was a memorable draft indeed.

While the 1983 draft was a bonanza, the Bears had drafted at least decently, if not well in the years leading up to that.

What's next?

Will the Bears 2017 offseason be as good as the 1983 draft, or the 1965 draft, who knows?  Regardless, I’m guessing it will be good.

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