2012 Chicago Bears season

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2012 Chicago Bears season
OwnerThe McCaskey Family
(Since 1983)
General managerPhil Emery
(Since 2012)
Head coachLovie Smith
(9th season)
Home fieldSoldier Field
(Since 1971)
Local radioWBBM · WCFS · WLEY · WSCR
Results
Record4–1
Division place2nd NFC North
Uniform
File:NFCN-UNIFORM-CHI-V3.png

The 2012 Chicago Bears season is the franchise's 93rd season in the National Football League, as well as the 9th under head coach Lovie Smith. The team will play at Soldier Field for the 10th season since its reconstruction in 2001.

Offseason

Organizational changes

Position: 2011:
at start of season 		2012: Reason for leaving:
General Manager Jerry Angelo Phil Emery[1] Fired[2]
Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz Mike Tice[3] Resigned[2] (later retired)[4]
Quarterbacks Coach Shane Day Jeremy Bates[5] Resigned
Offensive Line coach Mike Tice Tim Holt[6] Promoted to OC
Director of Player Personnel Tim Ruskell – Mutually parted ways[7]
Head Athletic Trainer Tim Bream Chris Hanks Left to join Penn State[8]
Director of Pro Scouting – Chris Ballard[9] N/A
Director of College Scouting – Marty Barrett[9] N/A
Assistant Athletic Trainer Chris Hanks Bobby Slater[8] Promoted to Head Athletic Trainer

During the team's GM hunt after Jerry Angelo was fired, the team considered New York Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross, San Diego Chargers director of player personnel Jimmy Raye III, New England Patriots director of pro personnel Jason Licht, and Kansas City Chiefs director of college scouting and eventual GM Phil Emery, along with in-house candidate Tim Ruskell.[10]

The team also re-signed special-teams coordinator Dave Toub back on the team to a 2-year extension.[11]

In the team's search for a new offensive coordinator/QB's coach, they originally considered former QB coach Greg Olson (though he later declined) and Alex Van Pelt. Newly-promoted offensive coordinator Mike Tice had expressed interest in hiring Dirk Koetter, though Koetter would later be hired by the Atlanta Falcons.[12]

The Bears, after head athletic trainer Tim Bream left for Penn State, promoted former assistant athletic trainer Chris Hanks to Bream's role, as well as director of rehabilitation Bobby Slater to Hanks's role.[8]

Scouts

The 2012 Bears scouting team will have 18 members, six more than the 2011 team, and have added seven new scouts and four scouting assistants.[9]

  • Dwayne Joseph (Pro scout)
  • James Kirkland (Atlantic)
  • Rex Hogan (West)
  • Mark Sadowski (East)
  • Kent Kahl (Central)
  • Francis Saint-Paul (West)
  • Sam Summerville (East)
  • Breck Ackley
  • Bobby Macedo
  • Zach Truty
  • David Williams

Roster changes

Additions

Departures

2012 draft class

Main article: 2012 NFL Draft

In 2011, the Bears acquired the Carolina Panthers' third round pick for Greg Olsen.[47], though in March, the Bears traded they pick to the Miami Dolphins and a future third rounder for Marshall.[48]

In the first round, the Bears selected Boise State defensive end Shea McClellin with the 19th overall pick. Though McClellin played defensive end and linebacker at college, Bears general manager Phil Emery stated that McClellin will play defensive end with the Bears.[49] In the second round, the Bears traded their second round pick (50th overall) and their fifth rounder (150th overall) to the St. Louis Rams for their second rounder (45th overall), which was used on South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. Emery considered Jeffery one of the best receivers in the draft, placing him ahead of Justin Blackmon and Michael Floyd.[50] In round three, the Bears drafted Oregon State safety Brandon Hardin 79th overall, despite missing the entire 2011 college football season with a shoulder injury.[51] Hardin's selection marked the eighth year in a row the team spent a draft pick on a safety.[50] In the next round, the Bears selected Temple tight end Evan Rodriguez. Though he played tight end, he was envisioned as a fullback by the team, and will be primarily intended to be a blocker. Rodriguez stated that he has been a blocker at Temple during Al Golden's tenure as offensive coordinator.[52] The Bears closed out the draft by drafting two cornerbacks, Nevada's Isaiah Frey (184th overall) and TCU's Greg McCoy (220th overall), despite the team already having six cornerbacks. McCoy was sixth in the nation in kickoff return yards, having averaged 30.6 yards per return, and scoring two touchdowns.[53] Draft analysts gave the Bears draft grades mainly C's.[54] The entire draft class was signed by May 15.[51]

Round Selection Player Position College
1 19 Shea McClellin Defensive end Boise State
2 45 Alshon Jeffery Wide receiver South Carolina
3 79 Brandon Hardin Safety Oregon State
4 111 Evan Rodriguez Fullback/Tight End Temple
6 184 Isaiah Frey Cornerback Nevada
7 220 Greg McCoy Cornerback/Kick Returner TCU
Draft Day Trades
Round Overall Team Received
2 50 to St. Louis Rams Received St. Louis's second round pick (45th overall)
5 150 to Rams None (traded along with 50th overall pick)

Undrafted free agents

After the conclusion of the draft, the Bears announced coming to terms with 11 undrafted free-agents.[55]

Offseason workouts

Rookie minicamp

Quarterback Jay Cutler (center) talks with Brandon Marshall (right) during training camp

51 rookies worked out with the team at Rookie Minicamp, consisting of closed two-hour practices. The rookies included 6 draft picks, 11 undrafted free agents and 34 others.[56]

Chicago Bears 2012 Rookie Mini-Camp Roster
Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen

Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

Drafted players in bold
Undrafted signees in italics

50 Total, 6 Drafted, 7 Signed, 37 Unsigned

Rookie workout signees

On May 13, the Bears later announced that they had signed 7 rookies.[57]

OTA workouts

On May 22, the Bears began their organized team activity (OTA) workouts, with workouts being from May 29–31 and June 4–7, with a mandatory full squad workout in June. Under the new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the NFLPA, offseason programs will last 9 weeks, instead of the former 14 weeks, and will be in 3 phases. In the first phase, activities were limited to strength, conditioning, and physical rehabilitation, with only strength and conditioning coaches allowed on the field. Players cannot wear helmets, and footballs are limited to quarterbacks and their receivers. In the second phase, all coaches are allowed on the field, and players will perform 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 non-contact drills. In the third and final phase, players may wear helmets, but one-on-one drills involving the offense and defense are prohibited.[58] Running back Matt Forté skipped the workouts due to a contract dispute.[59] Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, cornerback Charles Tillman, wide receiver Devin Hester and kicker Robbie Gould did not attend the workouts. Tight end Matt Spaeth, rookie receiver Alshon Jeffery, receiver Johnny Knox and cornerback Jonathan Wilhite were present, but did not participate. Julius Peppers held out of team drills, and Chauncey Davis was called to take first team reps at defensive end. Kyle Adams replaced Spaeth at tight end. Dom DeCicco and Nick Roach replaced Urlacher at linebacker. Patrick Mannelly also did not practice to an injury.[60]

Minicamp

During Bears minicamp, Matt Forte still held out, and was unavailable. Forte had a July 16 deadline to agree to a long-term deal, and eventually signed it on the day of the deadline.[61][62] Newcomer Michael Bush was eventually called to take Forte's place before the signing.[63]

Training Camp

Bears training camp ran from July 25 to August 17 at Olivet Nazarene University.[64] The Bears held their annual Family Fest at Soldier Field on August 3 in front of a crowd of 27,352.[65] During training camp, newcomer Devin Thomas announced his retirement,[45] and the Bears brought back Rashied Davis.[29]

Preseason

Transactions

Preseason roster changes
Additions
Departures
Practice squad additions
Reserve list

Schedule

The Bears' preseason schedule was announced on April 4, 2012. The Bears took on the Broncos, Peyton Manning, and former Bear Caleb Hanie, playing in their first game as Broncos, a game the Bears lost 31–3. Though safety Major Wright was able to intercept Manning, and rookie Shea McClellin managed to sack Hanie in the first quarter,[77] the team, who was playing without Jay Cutler, Matt Forté, Brian Urlacher, and Julius Peppers, the offense failed to convert any third down attempts, and only managed to get into Broncos territory once in the first half, which resulted in Josh McCown getting sacked. The defense also allowed Denver to convert 8 out of 16 third down conversions. In the second half, the Broncos scored three touchdowns on Xavier Omon's run, Brock Osweiler's pass to Jason Hill, and Adam Weber's pass to Cornelius Ingram.[78] In the second game, the Bears faced rookie first-round draft pick Robert Griffin III and the Redskins, and forced Griffin to fumble.[79] The Bears would lead 30-10, but Washington would take the lead in the fourth quarter after scoring 21 points on two Kirk Cousins passes and a Brandon Banks punt return, but Robbie Gould would tie the Bears record (that he himself set) for the longest field goal to give the Bears the victory.[80] Against the defending champion New York Giants, though Cutler only completed 9 of 21 passes for 96 yards, he threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall, and Gould kicked two field goals. The Giants would go on to score two touchdowns in the second-quarter, and led 17-7, though the Bears would later regain the lead 20-17. Late in the fourth quarter, Bears rookie Isaiah Frey intercepted a David Carr pass that was tipped by Anthony Walters to give the Bears the victory.[81] In the final preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, a frequent preseason opponent, the Bears took an early lead that they never relinquished for the rest of the game on two Josh McCown touchdown passes, an interception return by rookie Greg McCoy, and a blocked punt returned 22 yards for a touchdown by Brittan Golden, leading to a Bears 28-20 victory.[82]

Week Date Kickoff (CDT) Opponent Results Game site TV NFL.com
GameBook		 NFL.com
Recap
Final score Team record
1 August 9 7:30 p.m. Denver Broncos L 3–31 0–1 Soldier Field WFLD[a] Gamebook Recap
2 August 18 7:00 p.m. Washington Redskins W 33–31 1–1 Soldier Field WFLD[a] Gamebook Recap
3 August 24 7:00 p.m. at New York Giants W 20–17 2–1 MetLife Stadium CBS Gamebook Recap
4 August 30 6:30 p.m. at Cleveland Browns W 28–20 3–1 Cleveland Browns Stadium WFLD[a] Gamebook Recap

Regular season

Transactions

Regular season roster changes
Additions
Departures
Miscellaneous

Schedule

The team's schedule was announced on April 17.[87] The team has the twentieth strongest schedule in the NFL, tied with the Detroit Lions, New York Jets, and Kansas City Chiefs with opponents having a combined record of 126-130 (.492) in 2011.[88]

Week Date Kickoff Opponent Results Game site TV NFL.com
GameBook		 NFL.com
Recap
Final score Team record
1 September 9 12:00 p.m. Indianapolis Colts W 41–21 1–0 Soldier Field CBS Gamebook Recap
2 September 13 7:20 p.m. at Green Bay Packers L 10–23 1–1 Lambeau Field NFLN[b] Gamebook Recap
3 September 23 12:00 p.m. St. Louis Rams W 23–6 2–1 Soldier Field Fox Gamebook Recap
4 October 1 7:30 p.m. at Dallas Cowboys W 34–18 3–1 Cowboys Stadium ESPN[e] Gamebook Recap
5 October 7 3:05 p.m. at Jacksonville Jaguars W 41–3 4–1 EverBank Field Fox Gamebook Recap
6 Bye
7 October 22 7:30 p.m. Detroit Lions Soldier Field ESPN[f]
8 October 28 12:00 p.m. Carolina Panthers Soldier Field Fox
9 November 4 12:00 p.m. at Tennessee Titans LP Field Fox
10 November 11 7:20 p.m. Houston Texans Soldier Field NBC
11 November 19 7:30 p.m. at San Francisco 49ers Candlestick Park ESPN[f]
12 November 25 12:00 p.m. * Minnesota Vikings Soldier Field Fox *
13 December 2 12:00 p.m. * Seattle Seahawks Soldier Field Fox *
14 December 9 12:00 p.m. * at Minnesota Vikings Mall of America Field Fox *
15 December 16 12:00 p.m. * Green Bay Packers Soldier Field Fox *
16 December 23 3:25 p.m. * at Arizona Cardinals University of Phoenix Stadium Fox *
17 December 30 12:00 p.m. * at Detroit Lions Ford Field Fox *
NOTES: All times are Central. Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

LEGEND:

 #  Games played with color uniforms.[c]
 #  Games played with white uniforms.[c]
 #  Games played with 1940s throwback uniforms.[c]
 *  Yellow background indicates that the game time and network are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling.
 –  Light green background indicates a victory.
 –  Light red background indicates a loss.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Week One: Indianapolis Colts at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 7 0721
Bears 7 17 10741

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

The Bears opened the season against the Indianapolis Colts and first overall draft pick Andrew Luck at Soldier Field. The Bears opened the game on a sour note when Jay Cutler's pass to Matt Forte was intercepted by Jerrell Freeman and returned for a touchdown, giving the Colts a 7-0 lead. Cutler would only complete 30 percent of his passes (3 of 10) for 21 yards for a 4.9 passer rating. Despite this, in the second quarter, Cutler would complete 15 of 17 for 228 yards, one touchdown and a passer rating of 80.5, as the Bears would score twice on a Michael Bush 1-yard touchdown run and Brandon Marshall's 3-yard touchdown catch to give Chicago a 14-7 lead. The Bears defense was not able to sack Luck, but the Colts offense was only able to convert 1 of 4 third down attempts, and Tim Jennings was able to intercept Luck.[89] In the third quarter, the Bears scored on a 6-yard rushing touchdown by Forte to increase the lead to 31-14. In the final quarter, Luck threw his first career touchdown to Donnie Avery to close the gap by 13 points, but the Bears would retaliate when Cutler threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery.[90] The Colts attempted to score, but Luck's pass would be intercepted by Jennings with less than two minutes left in the game.[91]

With the win, the Bears opened the season with a 1-0 record. The 41 points scored by the Bears were the most in a season opener since the 1986 season, when the Bears defeated the Cleveland Browns 41-31,[92] and is also the first time the Bears scored 41 points without a defensive/special teams touchdown since 1993.[93]

Week 2: at Green Bay Packers

Week Two: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 0 3710
Packers 0 13 01023

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

In a Thursday Night showdown against the rival Green Bay Packers, the Bears struggled throughout much of the game, and the offense was only able to muster one touchdown and 168 yards. Quarterback Jay Cutler was sacked seven times, and completed 11 of 27 passes for 126 yards with one touchdown and a 28.2 passer rating. Cutler's counterpart Aaron Rodgers was sacked five times, and ended the game by completing 22 of 32 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown, an interception and a passer rating of 85.3. In the first quarter, Packers kicker Mason Crosby with a field goal, and the Bears would fall behind even more when Packers holder Tim Masthay threw a pass to tight end Tom Crabtree on a fake field goal.[94] In the third quarter, Matt Forte sustained an ankle injury (originally reported as a high ankle sprain), and was lost for the game.[95] After Cutler was later intercepted by Tramon Williams, Bears linebacker Lance Briggs dropped a possible interception, as Green Bay later increased the lead on another field goal. The Bears would later score on a Robbie Gould field goal, but the Packers later scored ten points (a Crosby field goal and a Rodgers 26-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver) in 21 seconds early in the fourth quarter. After Tim Jennings intercepted a Rodgers pass, Cutler connected with Kellen Davis to narrow the score to 23-10 with 6:49 left in the game, but the Packers would hold for the win.[96]

The loss dropped the Bears to a 1-1 record.

Week 3: vs. St. Louis Rams

Week Three: St. Louis Rams at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Rams 0 3 306
Bears 3 7 01323

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

Attempting to bounce back from the disappointing Week 2 loss to the Packers, the Bears faced the St. Louis Rams. Throughout the course of the game, the Bears defense sacked Rams quarterback Sam Bradford six times, marking the first time the Bears defense has recorded at least five sacks in back-to-back since the team's 2001 season.[97] The six sacks increased the Bears season sack total to 14, which led the league, and is the most they have recorded in the first three games since 1987.[98] On the offensive side, however, Jay Cutler completed only 17 of 31 passes for 183 yards and an interception (by Cortland Finnegan), and a mere passer rating of 58.9. With running back Matt Forte out for the game, the Bears rushing attack ran for 103 yards and Michael Bush ran for a 3-yard touchdown. In the second quarter, Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein kicked a 56-yard field goal, the longest in Soldier Field history.[99] In the fourth quarter, Bears cornerback Tim Jennings deflected a Bradford pass intended for Danny Amendola to Major Wright, who returned the interception 45 yards for a touchdown.[100]

The victory gave the Bears a 2-1 record.

Week 4: at Dallas Cowboys

Week Four: Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 10 141034
Cowboys 0 7 3818

at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

In week 4, the Bears played against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football in Dallas. After a scoreless first quarter and Robbie Gould's field goal, Charles Tillman intercepted Tony Romo, returning the pick for a touchdown. The interception would be the first of Romo's five interceptions. Romo would later hit Miles Austin for a 10-yard touchdown.[101] In the second half, Cutler was able to hit Devin Hester on a 34-yard touchdown pass to extend the Bears lead.[102] Later, Romo's pass was intercepted by Bears linebacker Lance Briggs, who then returned the interception for a touchdown to increase the lead 24-7. The Bears' 14 forced turnovers lead the league,[103] and also leads the league in interceptions (11).[104] Cutler would then throw another touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall. Cutler would have his highest performance of the season, completing 18 of 24 passes for 275 yards, along with two touchdowns. His 140.1 passer rating was the third highest of his career. Marshall caught seven passes for 138 yards, a season-best.[105] With 34 seconds left in the game, Romo was replaced by former Bears quarterback Kyle Orton, who threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jason Witten, and the Cowboys had a two-point conversion, but the Bears would then win 34-18.[106]

With the win, the Bears shared the NFC North lead with the Minnesota Vikings with a 3-1 record.

Week 5: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Five: Chicago Bears at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 3 0 102841
Jaguars 0 3 003

at EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

Game information

In week 5, the Bears recorded the highest margin of victory of the season, defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars 41-3. In the first quarter, the Bears scored first on a Robbie Gould 32-yard field goal, though Jacksonville would respond in the next quarter on Josh Scobee's 31-yard kick. In the second half, the Bears broke the deadlock by kicking another field goal and cornerback Charles Tillman returning a Blaine Gabbert interception 36 yards for a touchdown, breaking former Bears safety Mike Brown's franchise record for the most pick-sixes in a career. Tillman also tied Donnell Woolford for the most interceptions by a cornerback in team history. In the fourth quarter, the Bears scored on Jay Cutler's 10-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery.[107] Chicago would then extend their lead on Cutler's 24-yard pass to Brandon Marshall to increase the lead to 27-3. Bears linebacker Lance Briggs would then intercept Gabbert and score on a 36-yard return.[108] Briggs and Tillman would become the first pair in league history to return interceptions for touchdowns in consecutive games. The Bears would close out the game with backup running back Armando Allen scoring on a 46-yard touchdown run.[109]

The victory improved the team's record to 4-1. The victory is the most lopsided win for the Bears since their 1985 44-0 victory over the Cowboys,[110] and the 38 points scored in the second half are the most since the team' scoring 49 second half points in the 1941 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.[111]

Week 7: vs. Detroit Lions

Week Seven: Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Period 1 2 Total
Lions 0
Bears 0

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

Coming off their week 6 bye week, the Bears will face rival Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football.

Standings

NFC North
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(3) Green Bay Packers 11 5 0 .688 5–1 8–4 433 336 L1
(6) Minnesota Vikings 10 6 0 .625 4–2 7–5 379 348 W4
Chicago Bears 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 375 277 W2
Detroit Lions 4 12 0 .250 0–6 3–9 372 437 L8

Statistical leaders

Regular season

Player(s) Value NFL Rank NFC Rank
Passing Yards Jay Cutler 917 yards 20th 13th
Passing Touchdowns Jay Cutler 5 TDs T-14th T-6th
Rushing Yards Michael Bush 180 yards 26th 13th
Rushing Touchdowns Michael Bush 3 TDs 4th 2nd
Receiving Yards Brandon Marshall 352 yards 7th 4th
Receiving Touchdowns Brandon Marshall 2 TDs 20th 11th
Points Robbie Gould 36 points 8th 6th
Kickoff Return Yards Devin Hester 241 yards 10th 5th
Punt Return Yards Devin Hester 78 yards 13th 5th
Tackles Lance Briggs 22 tackles 31st 17th
Sacks Henry Melton 4.0 8th 4th
Interceptions Tim Jennings 4 INTs 1st 1st

Stats will be added after Week 4.[112]

Statistical league rankings

  • Total Offense (YPG): 307.5 yds (26th NFL)
  • Passing (YPG): 206.5 yds (24th NFL)
  • Rushing (YPG): 101.0 yds (16th NFL)
  • Points (PPG): 27.0 (11th NFL)
  • Total Defense (YPG): 316.8 yds (11th NFL)
  • Passing (YPG): 249.5 yds (18th NFL)
  • Rushing (YPG): 67.2 yds (3rd NFL)
  • Points (PPG): 17.0 (5th NFL)

Stats updated thru the end of Week 4.[113]

Awards and records

Awards

Weekly awards

Monthly awards

  • CB Tim Jennings was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for the month of September.[103]

Records

Team

Season
  • The Bears set a franchise record for most consecutive games with an interception return for a touchdown with 3 games. The record occurred in games against the St. Louis Rams (Week 3), Dallas Cowboys (Week 4), and Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 5). The previous record was 2 consecutive games.[116]

Individual

Game
  • CB Charles Tillman and LB Lance Briggs became the first teammates in NFL history to score defensive touchdowns in consecutive games. The pair first scored against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4, before scoring again against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5.[117]
Career
  • LS Patrick Mannelly set the Bears franchise record for the most seasons in a Bears uniform with 15 when he stepped on the field in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts. The previous mark of 14 seasons was held by Bill George and Doug Buffone.[118]
  • CB Charles Tillman set the Bears franchise record for the most defensive touchdowns in a career with 8 when he returned an interception for a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 5. The previous mark of 7 touchdowns was held by FS Mike Brown.[107]

Staff

Chicago Bears staff
Front office
  • Secretary of the board of directors – Virginia Halas McCaskey
  • Chairman – George McCaskey
  • President/CEO – Kevin Warren
  • General manager – Ryan Poles
  • Assistant general manager – Ian Cunningham
  • Co-directors of player personnel – Jeff King and Trey Koziol
  • Assistant director of pro scouting – Chris White
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Breck Ackley
  • Director of football administration – Matt Feinstein
  • Director of football analytics – Krithi Chandrakasan
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
  
Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – Eric Washington
  • Defensive line – Travis Smith
  • Assistant defensive line – Brian Bing
  • Linebackers – Dave Borgonzi
  • Cornerbacks/defensive passing game coordinator – Jon Hoke
  • Nickelbacks – David Overstreet II
  • Safeties – Andre Curtis
  • Defensive quality control – Kevin Koch
  • Defensive quality control – Kenny Norton III
  • Defensive analyst (advance/special projects) – Matt Pees
Special teams coaches
Coaching administration
  • Director of research and analysis – Harrison Freid
  • Coaching administration manager – Chavis Cook
Strength and conditioning
  • Head strength and conditioning – Jim Arthur
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Noble Landry
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Pierre Ngo
  • Player engagement/strength and conditioning – Isaiah Harris

→ Coaching staff
→ Management
→ More NFL staffs

Current roster

Chicago Bears roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams


Rookies in italics

Roster updated May 14, 2024

84 active, 3 unsigned

→ AFC rosters → NFC rosters

Depth charts

Week One depth chart

Current depth chart


Footnotes

^[a] Preseason games air and are produced by the team as the "Chicago Bears Network". WFLD-TV in Chicago is the flagship station but games are broadcast to other local affilities in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. These include: KFXA - Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Ch. 28); KLJB - Quad Cities, Iowa-Illinois (Ch. 18); WCCU - Champaign, Illinois (Ch. 27); WMBD - Peoria, Illinois (Ch. 31); WIFR - Rockford, Illinois (Ch. 23); WRSP - Springfield, Illinois (Ch. 55); WSBT - South Bend, Indiana (Ch. 22)[119]
^[b] Simulcast locally on WPWR-TV.
^[c] The Bears announced their uniform combinations for the season and the dates they will be wearing their 1940s throwbacks. Rumors were also debunked of the "orange pants" combination the team dons in the Madden NFL 13 video game.[120]
^[d] Replacement officials used due to the ongoing referee labor dispute.
^[e] Simulcast locally on WGN-TV.
^[f] Simulcast locally on WCIU-TV.

References

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  2. ^ a b Jensen, Sean (2012-01-03). "Jerry Angelo fired as Bears general manager, Martz resigns". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
  3. ^ "Mike Tice will be Chicago Bears offensive coordinator". ESPN. 2012-01-07. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
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  5. ^ Dickerson, Jeff. "Carroll: Bears hiring Bates a wise move". ESPN. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  6. ^ "Bears hire Tim Holt as offensive line coach - Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
  7. ^ "Bears sever ties with director of player personnel Ruskell". National Football League. 2012-01-30. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
  8. ^ a b c Jensen, Sean (2012-04-13). "Bears promote Chris Hanks to head athletic trainer". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
  9. ^ a b c "Bears add scouts, expand personnel department - Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
  10. ^ Jensen, Sean (2012-02-25). "Bears' GM search down to Chiefs' Phil Emery, Patriots' Jason Licht". Chicago Sun-Times. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help); Text "2012-10-3" ignored (help); Text "accessdate" ignored (help)
  11. ^ "Dave Toub signs 2-year extension with Bears". Chicago Sun-Times. 2012-01-17. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  12. ^ "Bears to check out Alex Van Pelt for QB job". National Football Post. 2012-01-31. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  13. ^ Carroll, Chuck (2012-01-06). "Chicago Bears Sign 3 Players To Reserve/Futures Contracts". Football News Now. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
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  15. ^ "NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Bears reach terms with Campbell to back up Cutler "". National Football League. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
  16. ^ Brad Biggs (2012-03-22). "Bears sign veteran linebacker Blake Costanzo". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
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  18. ^ Biggs, Brad (2012-03-22). "Bears sign free agent running back Michael Bush". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
  19. ^ Hendricks, Maggie (2012-03-28). "Bears Sign Devin Thomas". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
  20. ^ "Chicago Bears agree to deal with Kelvin Hayden and Jonathan Wilhite". ESPN. 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  21. ^ "Chilo Rachal signs with Bears". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  22. ^ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers free-agent linebacker Geno Hayes joins Chicago Bears". Tampa Bay Times. 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
  23. ^ "Bears add three D-linemen". Pro Football Weekly. 2012-05-11. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
  24. ^ "Bears agree to 1-year deal with DT Collins". Yahoo! Sports. 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  25. ^ "Bears sign Brandon, Brown - Yahoo! Sports". Yahoo! Sports. 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  26. ^ "Lorenzo Booker, Chicago Bears agree to one-year deal". National Football League. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
  27. ^ Associated Press. "Bucs trade DT Brian Price to Bears". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  28. ^ a b "Bears sign CB Ware, waive K Teggart - Chicago News and Weather | FOX Chicago News". Myfoxchicago.com. 2012-08-04. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  29. ^ a b "Bears bring back Davis to fill Thomas void". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
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External links

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