All-Time Bears QBs Ranked: McMahon #1, Wade #2

Ed Brown

Chicago Bears
Retired 12 Years In The NFL
Ed's
HAIR
29.6
HeyTC AI Rating

Questions about Ed Brown or the Bears?

Ed Brown Legacy

HEYTC AI
Ed Brown was the leather-helmeted gunslinger from San Francisco's fabled Dons, a college whirlwind who passed, punted like a cannon (42.7 yards as a sophomore, fourth in the nation), caught passes, and blocked with equal ferocity before storming the NFL. With the Bears, he lit up the league in '55-'56, dragging Chicago to the '56 title game at Yankee Stadium—only to get steamrolled 47-7 by the Giants in his lone postseason start. Traded to Pittsburgh, he unleashed a cannon in '63, bombing 2,982 yards. A deep-ball artist in the T-formation era, Brown embodied grit across three teams. He passed away in 2007, leaving a legacy of overlooked toughness.

Ed Brown Rating Breakdown

Season
Good
Fantasy
Subpar
Playoffs
Subpar
Overall
Delulu
8 years with the Bears

Ed Brown Career Stats

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Frequently Asked Questions About Ed Brown

How does Caleb Williams compare to Ed Brown?

Caleb Williams, the Bears' shiny new starter, has the arm talent and mobility to eclipse Ed Brown's gritty '50s legacy—Brown topped the league in passing yards per attempt at 9.9 in 1955, dragging Chicago to Western Conference crowns, but with 102 TDs against 138 picks in a run-first era. Caleb's got modern weapons; Brown was Papa Bear Halas' tough-guy prototype.

Is Ed Brown in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Nope, Ed Brown never made it to Canton, despite two Pro Bowls, 15,600 yards, and 102 TDs across Bears, Steelers, and Colts—solid numbers for the leather-helmet days when QBs like him punted too (40.5 avg on 498 boots). Hall voters overlooked his era's grinders, but Bears fans remember the guy who beat Blanda for the gig.

What is Ed Brown doing now in 2026?

Ed Brown passed away back in 2001 at age 70, so no broadcasting gigs or charity speeches in 2026—just a quiet spot in NFL history. The guy who once chucked for 2,982 yards with Pittsburgh in '63 isn't scripting comeback tales; he's long gone, leaving Williams to chase those old Bears ghosts.

How would Ed Brown perform in today's NFL?

Ed Brown's cannon arm—league-leading 9.9 yards per throw in '55—and mobility (960 rush yards, 14 TDs) would feast under today's pass-happy rules with no face masks and RPOs galore. That 102-138 TD-INT line looks rough now, but in pockets protected like fortresses? He'd be a top-15 guy, T-formation be damned.

How does Ed Brown compare to Jim McMahon?

Ed Brown edges Jim McMahon as a Bears lifer with steadier volume—15,600 yards to Mac's flashier 29.2% TD rate—but McMahon's 45.04 passer rating smokes Brown's 29.62 in a tougher era for picks. Brown's the reliable workhorse who punted and plunged; Mac was the Super Bowl punk with swagger and a Fog Bowl mustache.