Windy City Gridiron
Over the course of June, we at Windy City Gridiron are running the 30 Day Challenge, where every single day, someone on our staff tells a story relating to their fandom of the Chicago Bears. We’ll be sharing memories of players and coaches that we either loved or hated, specific games or plays that stick with us all these years later, personal ties to the organization, and much more.
Today, it’s my turn to dig into the question: who is my favorite Bears tight end of all time?
I’ve been with Windy City Gridiron for 9 years now, with Mitchell Trubisky’s rookie year being my first year covering the Bears on this site. Despite that, it’s worth noting that I’m only 25 years old. If my math is correct, that means Lester hired me when I was 5 years old. Wow, how the time flies.
I bring this up to say that I might not have as extensive of a personal tie to tight ends of yesteryear. I’ve come to appreciate the legend of Mike Ditka, the reliability of Emery Moorehead, and the steadiness of Ryan Wetnight (not to be mistaken for the frequent WCG commenter). That said, I don’t have any experience watching those guys live, so my emotional attachment isn’t as strong.
There are many Bears tight ends I considered here. Desmond Clark was the team’s tight end when I first fell in love with football in 2006. Martellus Bennett had a short but dynamic stint in Chicago. Cole Kmet has been a consistent contributor since he came into the NFL, and Colston Loveland might be well on his way to being the most productive tight end in team history.
When I started this article, I was originally going to pick Greg Olsen. I was enamored by his athleticism and pass-catching abilities as a kid, and in a time when the Bears didn’t have many weapons on offense, his star potential stood out like a sore thumb. In the slight overlap he had with Jay Cutler, Olsen was their best pass-catcher. Plus, he was always a topic of conversation at home because my mom thought he was attractive (sorry to air out your dirty laundry, Mom).
It’s a shame that Mike Martz exiled him out of Chicago in 2011 because he was perceived as a poor scheme fit. Olsen went on to reach Pro Bowl heights with the Panthers, while Martz never coached in the NFL after that 2011 season. Serves him right.
In the end, though, I had to go with Zach Miller as my choice for my favorite Bears tight end of all time. Not the best, or even the most talented, but my favorite.
He’s an incredible outlier whose football journey is second to none. He was a Division II quarterback at Nebraska-Omaha who got converted to tight end in the NFL when the Jaguars drafted him in 2009. Though he showed encouraging flashes in his first two seasons, he dislocated his shoulder early in...
