Forgotten Bears Who Would’ve Been Stars Under Matt Nagy
When talking about Jordan Howard and his exit, one way to explain it was as such. He was born in the wrong era of football. If he’d joined the Chicago Bears in the 1960s or 1970s, he would’ve been a star. Somebody you could feed the ball 30 times a game and watch wear defenses out every Sunday. That era of NFL offense is gone though. Head coach Matt Nagy understood that.
Hence why a change was made. In order to get the most out of this offense, he needed backs that can do more than just run the ball. They have to catch and run good routes too. This raised an interesting question on its own. Who were some Bears players from past eras that could say they were born too early?
Players who might be forgotten today but had the types of skill sets that would’ve made them legitimate weapons to be feared under a guy like Nagy? Here are a few that fit the profile.
Willie Galimore
Now diehard fans will remember the name Willie Galimore. For a period in the late 1950s and early 1960s, he was a bit of a revelation to the NFL. Nobody had seen his unique mix of athleticism, quickness, and pass catching skill. His career didn’t last beyond the age of 28, but he managed 4,186 total yards and 36 touchdowns with a Pro Bowl and a championship in that time.
That’s a pretty good career, but there is no question the Bears offensive system of that era never quite understood how to use him. He had more than 15 catches only once in his career, signaling he wasn’t targeted nearly enough. Not a surprise considering this was still the three yards and a cloud of dust era. Formations to get matchups with the running backs were still two decades away.
Johnny Bailey
Who? Bears fans won’t remember this name for two reasons. He was a 9th round pick. A round that no longer exists. Also, he only played two years in Chicago during which he did almost nothing of note aside from a punt return touchdown as a rookie in 1990. Otherwise, he was nothing more than a bench player. Why? He was short.
Bailey stood 5’8, which may not seem like a big deal today but back then the stigma against players like that was rampant. Besides that, Mike Ditka, for as good a coach as he was at time, had no clue how to use him. It wasn’t until he left the Bears that people saw glimpses.
In four seasons after leaving, Bailey averaged 4.8 yards per carry (703 yards) and caught 161 passes for 1,355 yards. He could be called the NFL’s beta version of Darren Sproles and Tarik Cohen.
Dennis Gentry
One of the unsung heroes of those great Bears teams of the 1980s. Gentry was the sort of “gadget” man of the roster. He did whatever was asked of him. Most of the time it was being their primary kick return man. He had a touchdown each year from 1985 to 1987. This didn’t stop him from getting touches from time to time on offense though.
In total, he caught 171 passes for over 2,000 yards and seven touchdowns. He also ran the ball for 764 yards averaging 5.6 per carry. It’s almost criminal the Bears didn’t try to get him the ball more often. Gentry seemed to do something good with it every time. Something Nagy would’ve never let happen had he been in charge.
Tim Wrightman
These days Wrightman is known better for his acting work. People forget that for a brief period from 1983 to 1986, he was an athletic tight end out of UCLA who had success both in the old United State Football League and then the NFL with the Bears. He only made it through two seasons in Chicago before frequent knee surgeries convinced him to retire.
For a brief time though there were flashes of what he could be. People watching him today would immediately see similarities to Trey Burton. A unique athlete who is smaller for a tight end but big enough to move around creating mismatches. He caught 24 passes for 407 yards in 1985, which is ridiculous numbers in the context of that run-all-the-time offense.