A defensive titan who redefined modern football, a former Bear is now considered a lock for Canton after a career defined by dominance and elite pass-rushing.
The Chicago Bears have 40 former players and coaches currently in the NFL Hall of Fame.
From Mike Ditka to Walter Payton to Gale Sayers and most recently, Devin Hester, the Bears are well represented.
Who knows? The Bears may have a few future Hall of Famers currently on their roster. Quarterback Caleb Williams is probably the favorite for that honor. He's off to a great start after two years in the NFL.
Joe Thuney may have his name enshrined in the Hall of Fame when he decides to retire from football.
Recently, a former Bears player was named a lock to make the Hall of Fame. CBS Sports' Carter Bahns went through and named current NFL players who were pretty much guaranteed to make the Hall of Fame when they retire.
No current Bears players were featured, but there was former linebacker Khalil Mack on the list.
"Khalil Mack redefined positional nomenclature in 2015 when he earned enough votes to become an All-Pro at both defensive end and outside linebacker," Bahns said. That started the push to define players with his skill set as edge rushers rather than to pigeonhole them as simply defensive linemen or linebackers. The story of modern defense cannot be told without mentioning Mack. Plus, he is a former Defensive Player of the Year and a runner-up, and he made the Pro Bowl three times with three different teams for a total of nine appearances."
Mack could've been a great addition to the Bears' defense this offseason, but he decided to re-sign with the Los Angeles Chargers instead.
It's no secret that the Bears have had problems sacking quarterbacks with consistency. Last season, the Bears managed only 35 sacks as a team, ranking 22nd in the NFL.
While Mack isn't the same player he once was, he has accounted for 36.5 sacks in the four years he's been with the Chargers.
Mack played for the Bears during the Matt Nagy era. He was with the team from 2018-2021 and made the Pro Bowl almost every year in Chicago, missing out in his final season.
Before that, Mack was with the Oakland Raiders from 2014-17.
He absolutely has a great case to make the Hall of Fame. In his career, Mack has accounted for 662 total tackles, 113 sacks, three interceptions and 66 TFLs.
We'll have to wait and see if Mack makes his way to Canton, Ohio. He definitely has put in a solid body of work in the NFL.
