Bears All-Quarter Century Team: Linebackers

Twenty-five years of Chicago Bears football are in the books since the turn of the century. Since the calendar turned over to 2000, the Bears have seen some success, but also plenty of woeful stretches. Early on, Chicago became a defensive force, claiming four division titles and reaching only their second Super Bowl in franchise history from 2000 to 2010. Since then, however, a 14-year playoff victory drought that is still ongoing and a one-sided fight with their rival Green Bay Packers have taken the spotlight.

For all the ups and downs the Bears have seen, however, they had plenty of talent over the years across offense and defense. Multiple former Bears players are already in the Hall of Fame, while many more provided years of incredible play in the navy and orange.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re celebrating the best Bears players at each position over the last 25 years. Up next is linebacker, a position that has historically been among the franchise’s best — which has proven true through this first quarter century.

Brian Urlacher

2000-2012
1,361 total tackles, 138 tackles for loss, 41.5 sacks, 24 QB hits, 22 interceptions (2 touchdowns), 90 pass breakups, 11 forced fumbles, 16 fumble recoveries (2 touchdowns)

The Bears have had some of the best linebackers in the history of the NFL, and that trend continued into this century with Brian Urlacher, who’s not only the Chicago’s best linebacker this century but one of their greatest of all-time. Urlacher, a former college safety, established himself as the latest in a long line of Hall of Fame linebackers as an incredibly athletic and gifted player. He played all 13 NFL seasons, all with Chicago. Urlacher is the franchise’s all-time leader in solo tackles (1,040) and his 41.5 career sacks is the most by a linebacker in franchise history.

Urlacher was the face of one of the league’s most dominant defenses in the 2000s, where he made life difficult on opposing quarterbacks. He was an integral part of two defenses that led the league in defensive scoring in 2001 and 2005, as well as the 2006 defense that was the catalyst in the team’s Super Bowl run. In 13 seasons, Urlacher totaled 1,361 tackles, 41.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles and 22 interceptions en route to First-Team All-Pro honors (four times), eight Pro Bowl nods, Defensive Rookie of the Year (2000), Defensive Player of the Year (2005) and he was a first-ballot inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

Lance Briggs

2003-2014
1,181 total tackles, 97 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, 24 QB hits, 16 interceptions (5 touchdowns), 84 pass breakups, 16 forced fumbles, 7 fumble recoveries (1 touchdown)

If not for the Hall of Famer he played alongside for many years, Lance Briggs might be in consideration for the Bears’ best linebacker this century (so far). Briggs was a mainstay of Chicago’s defenses in the 2000s, playing all 12 NFL seasons with the Bears. In that span, Briggs totaled 1,566 tackles, 15 sacks, 16 interceptions and 18 forced fumbles. While Briggs did play most of his 12-year career alongside Urlacher, Briggs was nothing to scoff at. He was dominant in his own right, especially when it came to taking the ball away. Briggs had six defensive touchdowns (five interceptions, one fumble recovery) which is the third most in franchise history. He was also the first linebacker in NFL history to return an interception for a touchdown in each of his first three seasons.

Briggs had an impressive resume that includes two First-Team All-Pro nods (2005, 2006), one Second-Team All-Pro nod (2009), seven Pro Bowl appearances (2005-11) and he was named to the 100 greatest Bears of All-Time (28th). The biggest question is why hasn’t Briggs been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame yet? It’s most likely due to the fact that he played most of his 12-year career alongside a Hall of Famer in Urlacher. Briggs has made the initial list for the Hall of Fame several times now, but he’s yet to get to the semi-finalist round. Given Briggs was a defensive cornerstone on some of Chicago’s best defenses in the 2000s, the hope is he eventually gets the recognition he deserves.

Roquan Smith

2018-2022
607 total tackles, 47 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, 20 QB hits, 7 interceptions, 1 touchdown, 20 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery

The Bears’ linebacker position has been defined by Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs this century, and Chicago found another stud in Roquan Smith with the eighth pick in the 2018 NFL draft. Things didn’t get off to a good start after a holdout his rookie season, but he quickly found his stride and established himself as an integral part of the Bears’ defense. In four and a half seasons with Chicago, Smith totaled 607 tackles, including 47 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, 20 QB hits, seven interceptions (including one for a touchdown) and 20 pass breakups. He also totaled at least 100 tackles in each of his four seasons, becoming the first Bears player to achieve that feat since Lance Briggs did in six consecutive seasons (2004-09) Smith earned Second-Team All-Pro nods in 2020 and 2021. Although, there was an argument to be made for him to make the Pro Bowl or even First-Team All-Pro.

Unfortunately, a contract dispute proved to end Smith’s time in Chicago as he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens in Nov. 2022. Since joining Baltimore, Smith has been named a First-Team All-Pro three times (2022-24), earned three Pro Bowl nods (2022-24) and earned the pro Butkus Award (2022, 2023). Smith never got the recognition he deserved while playing in Chicago, which is probably due to the team’s struggles amid a coaching carousel. But once he was traded to the Ravens, people started finally paying attention to Smith, whose play didn’t necessarily improve but was better highlighted on a better team.

Rosevelt Colvin

1999-2002
185 total tackles, 31 tackles for loss, 26 sacks, 2 interceptions, 20 pass breakups, 10 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries

An underrated linebacker for the Bears this century is Rosevelt Colvin, who was selected in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL draft. Selected by the Bears in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft, Colvin emerged as a talented pass rusher. Playing outside linebacker on run downs and defensive end in passing situations, he recorded a career high 10.5 sacks in 2001 and again in 2002. In the process, he became the first Bears player with double digit sacks in back-to-back seasons since Hall of Famer Richard Dent in 1990-91.

Colvin spent just four seasons with the Bears, totaling 185 tackles, including 31 tackles for loss, 26 sacks, two interceptions, 20 pass breakups, 10 forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. After his best season in 2002, he was signed by the New England Patriots in 2003, where he spent his final six NFL seasons and won two Super Bowls before retiring following the 2008 season. Colvin grew up watching the Bears and, even 20-plus years removed since playing for Chicago, he’s still rooting for the Bears.

Honorable mention: Hunter Hillenmeyer