These former & current Chicago Cubs would make great Chicago Bears

It’s fall, the leaves are changing color, and those same leaves are falling along with the temperature. The Chicago Cubs aren’t especially relevant at this point, given that their general relevance disappeared months ago and a lot of offseason moves will likely be put on hold until after the new CBA is worked out.

The Chicago Bears can probably say the same after their loss to the 49ers at Soldier Field last week that probably put the finishing touches on Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace’s Halloween coffins. With both teams struggling this season, must be time to turn to the Hawks, right? Ohhhh boy. There’s always the Bulls – they actually look good so far early in the season.

Anyways, back to my point about the Cubs and Bears. With both teams struggling, it got me to thinking that maybe the Bears could use some help and the Cubs could spare some current and even former players to help out on the gridiron. It’s not a perfect idea, because it’s just an exercise in the hypothetical fantasy world and ultimately in futility, but it’s a fun break from the bleak outlook of both clubs in the short term.

Wouldn’t it be fun to see some Chicago Cubs as Bears?

True, the Cubs don’t have and have never really had any guys who could be used on the offensive line because of the size “requirement” and a lineman’s lack of correspondence in basically any other professional sport, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some valuable additions to be had from the Cubs. In fact, there are even some former Cubs who have been pretty decent pigskinners in their own right.

Chicago Cubs: This guy could have been a first round pick in the NFL

First on the list of guys the Cubs could send over to da Bears are the guys who actually played football at a high level: Mark DeRosa at Penn, Jeff Samardzija at Notre Dame and Matt Szczur at Villanova. Sure, they’re probably a little too old and past their football prime now, but back in the day, all of those guys sure could toss or catch the ol’ watermelon.

Amongst players who aren’t known for playing high level football, there are certain characteristics, physical attributes, and athletic skills that could have made some other Cubs an intriguing addition to the hallowed hall of Halas.

Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, Fergie Jenkins, Jason Heyward, Kerry Wood, and Shawon Dunston all had a good enough baseball arm to make you think they could probably toss a football pretty darn well too. They also all had some pretty great moxie and would no doubt have been leaders in the huddle and tough in the pocket. Dunston and Heyward, along with the bazookas attached to their shoulders, would also represent a bit of a dual threat as well, as their athleticism would make them tough for defenses to contend with.

I suppose you could even throw Javy Baez into this group, but his height would work against him compared to the other tall guys on the list. Plus, Baez seems more like a slot guy who is crafty and just finds magical ways to get yards and touchdowns.

Chicago Cubs: If this Kyle Schwarber isn’t a footballer, who is?

Some current and former Cubs who would seemingly make defensive stalwarts in the world of football include former prep football linebacker Kyle Schwarber, a guy with speed and strength to patrol the middle as a safety or linebacker in Sammy Sosa, and short-lived Cub speedster Terrance Gore at cornerback.

At safety, there are a couple of former Cubs who might be interesting patrolling the field – Ryne Sandberg and Alfonso Soriano were both guys who had speed and just enough strength to stay with receivers and also deliver hits. Granted, both would probably have to pack on a few pounds to deal with modern day NFL players, but their combination of athleticism and grit would certainly make them interesting options at free safety. Ian Happ might fit right in with those two as a very underrated but stellar athlete.

I have no idea whether they can kick a fooball or not, but both Greg Maddux and his professorial namesake Kyle Hendricks are both cerebral and methodical enough to handle the pressure and repetition of punting and kicking in the NFL. They’re both also good enough athletes to stand as the last line of defense and make a touchdown-saving tackle if need be, so I’m recommending those two to figure out the kicking aspect of our Cubs to Bears squad.

Now that the Bears have some fantasy options and reinforcements from the Cubs past and present, perhaps they can go out and get a win against the Steelers on Monday night.