Windy City Gridiron
With a quarter of the 21st century of Bears football behind us, we look at the best players to suit up for them on defense and special teams.
The 2025-26 NFL season marks the 25th season of the 21st century, and it also means we’ve sat through a quarter century of Chicago Bears football since the turn of the millennium.
It’s been an up-and-down quarter century, for the Bears, ranging from the highs of their NFC championship in 2006 to the lows under the likes of Marc Trestman and Matt Eberflus. The hope is the next 25 years will be more steadily strong, but there have been plenty of fantastic players to suit up for the Bears over the years.
To look back on the best Bears players of the 21st century, I put together a full team of the best players at each position to suit up for the organization since 2001. After breaking down the offense, let’s take a look now at the defense.
Honorable mentions belong to Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye, as they are the top two players in sacks for the Bears in the 21st century. They have the longevity edge over my two selections, but the peaks both of my picks had were nothing short of fantastic.
In his four seasons in Chicago, Julius Peppers was a three-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro. He totaled 37.5 sacks in that span, averaging nearly ten sacks per year. He finished fourth in voting for Defensive Player of the Year in 2010, as well. A physical freak with a deep pass-rushing arsenal, Peppers goes down as one of the best free agent signings in Bears history.
If Peppers was one of Chicago’s best free agent signings, then Khalil Mack will go down as one of their best trade acquisitions. He similarly spent four years with the Bears, making three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams. He placed second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2018, even after missing two games. In his 53 games over those four seasons, Mack tallied 40.5 sacks.
Initially a mid-level free agent signing after starting just three games in 2015, Akiem Hicks blossomed into consistently being one of the top defensive tackles in the game during his time with the Bears. He played six seasons in Chicago, though injuries slowed him down in 2019 and 2021. However, in those first three years, he had a combined 23 sacks along the interior and made a Pro Bowl in 2018.
Tommie Harris was another talented defender ultimately slowed down by injuries, but his peak was tremendous. He made the Pro Bowl all three years from 2005 to 2007, finishing as a second-team All-Pro in 2005. In seven seasons with the Bears, he had 219 tackles and 28.5 sacks. His explosiveness and ability to rush the passer made him an anchor for Chicago’s Tampa 2 defenses....
