Bears All-Decade Team: Khalil Mack, Julius Peppers on the edge

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The Chicago Bears wrapped up their 100th season of football in disappointing fashion, but the 2010s provided Bears fans with some fun moments and personalities to cheer for.

In this nine-part series, we'll name our Bears All-Decade Team.

First up: Edge defenders


Khalil Mack
2018-present

It was arguably the biggest trade in the NFL in decades when GM Ryan Pace pulled the trigger on a move that would send multiple first-round picks to the Raiders for Mack on the eve of the 2018 regular season. And it was a move that instantly changed the fortunes of a city that was so desperate for a winner.

Mack made an immediate impact in his first year with the Bears, registering 12.5 sacks in a 12-4 season that saw Chicago win the NFC North and host a playoff game. He wasn't as successful in 2019 (he finished with 8.5 sacks), but his superstar presence on the Bears defense has flipped the narrative about this franchise from a club that's a perennial underachiever to a team with legitimate championship aspirations.

Sure, Mack has only been a Bear for two of the last 10 years, but there's simply no contest when it comes to edge defenders who belong on this list.

Julius Peppers
2010-13

Prior to the Mack trade, the biggest acquisition the Bears made in the 2010s on defense was the signing of Peppers in free agency. He signed a six-year, $91.5 million deal in 2010 and lived up to his contract during his four seasons in Chicago.

Peppers had 37.5 sacks for the Bears, including two seasons with 11 or more. He was a massive part of their playoff run in 2010; like Mack, he flipped Chicago from a middling club into a squad that came one game away from the Super Bowl that year.

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