1996 Chicago Bears season

The 1996 Chicago Bears season was their 77th regular season completed in the National Football League (NFL). They failed to improve on their 9–7 record from 1995 and finished with a 7–9 record under head coach Dave Wannstedt. It was the team's first losing season since 1993 when it was Wannstedt's first season.

1996 Chicago Bears season
Head coachDave Wannstedt
Home fieldSoldier Field
Results
Record7–9
Division place3rd NFC Central
Playoff finishDid not qualify

Offseason

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Additions Subtractions
LB Bryan Cox (Dolphins) K Kevin Butler (Cardinals)
QB Dave Krieg (Cardinals) WR Jeff Graham (Jets)
TE Kerry Cash (Raiders) CB Jeremy Lincoln (Rams)
K Jeff Jaeger (Raiders)

NFL draft

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1996 Chicago Bears draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 13 Walt Harris *  Cornerback Mississippi State
2 52 Bobby Engram  Wide receiver Penn State
4 116 Paul Grasmanis  Defensive tackle Notre Dame
5 152 Chris Villarrial  Guard Indiana (PA)
6 187 Jon Clark  Offensive tackle Temple
7 233 Marcus Keyes  Defensive tackle North Alabama
7 253 Michael Hicks  Running back South Carolina State
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

Undrafted free agents

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1996 Undrafted free agents of note
Player Position College
Chris Martin Cornerback Northwestern
Bobby Neely Tight end Virginia

Staff

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1996 Chicago Bears staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning


[2]

Roster

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1996 Chicago Bears roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

53 active, 11 inactive, 4 practice squad Reserve


Rookies in italics

[3]

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result TV Time TV Announcers Attendance
1 September 2, 1996 Dallas Cowboys W 22–6 ABC 8:00pm Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf
66,944
2 September 8, 1996 at Washington Redskins L 10–3 FOX 12:00pm Dick Stockton & Matt Millen
52,711
3 September 15, 1996 Minnesota Vikings L 20–14 FOX 12:00pm Mike Breen & Bill Maas
61,301
4 September 22, 1996 at Detroit Lions L 35–16 FOX 3:00pm Kevin Harlan & Jerry Glanville
70,022
5 September 29, 1996 Oakland Raiders W 19–17 NBC 12:00pm Dick Enberg, Paul Maguire & Phil Simms
57,062
6 October 6, 1996 Green Bay Packers L 37–6 FOX 12:00pm Pat Summerall & John Madden
65,480
7 October 13, 1996 at New Orleans Saints L 27–24 FOX 12:00pm Mike Breen & Bill Maas
43,512
8 Bye
9 October 28, 1996 at Minnesota Vikings W 15–13 ABC 8:00pm Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf
58,143
10 November 3, 1996 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 13–10 FOX 12:00pm Kenny Albert & Tim Green
58,727
11 November 10, 1996 at Denver Broncos L 17–12 FOX 3:00pm Kevin Harlan & Jerry Glanville
75,555
12 November 17, 1996 at Kansas City Chiefs L 14–10 FOX 12:00pm Dick Stockton & Matt Millen
76,752
13 November 24, 1996 Detroit Lions W 31–14 FOX 12:00pm Kenny Albert & Tim Green
55,864
14 December 1, 1996 at Green Bay Packers L 28–17 FOX 12:00pm Dick Stockton & Matt Millen
59,682
15 December 8, 1996 St. Louis Rams W 35–9 FOX 12:00pm Thom Brennaman & Ron Pitts
45,075
16 December 14, 1996 San Diego Chargers W 27–14 NBC 3:00pm Charlie Jones & Randy Cross
49,763
17 December 22, 1996 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 34–19 FOX 12:00pm Thom Brennaman & Ron Pitts
51,572

Standings

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NFC Central
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(1) Green Bay Packers 13 3 0 .813 456 210 W5
(6) Minnesota Vikings 9 7 0 .563 298 315 L1
Chicago Bears 7 9 0 .438 283 305 L1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6 10 0 .375 221 293 W1
Detroit Lions 5 11 0 .313 302 368 L5

References

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  1. ^ "1996 Chicago Bears draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  2. ^ "Club directory". Chicago Bears 1996 Media Guide. p. 2.
  3. ^ "1996 Chicago Bears starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
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