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We've been hearing for a while now that the Chicago Bears roster is getting older and older, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, so it's no surprise that a recent list of top players under the age of 25 included no one from our roster.
For the record, neither did any of the other NFC North teams.
With that said, I looked back at some stats from the beginning of the 2012 season, and found some numbers that shows just how old the Chicago Bears roster is compared to the rest of the league.
Overall, the Bears fielded the 4th-oldest starting lineup in week 1 of the 2012 season, just behind the Chargers, Falcons, and Giants.
For the 2010 season, the Bears has the 21st-oldest roster, so we've seen a huge jump in age over the last couple years.
Currently on the Chicago Bears roster, we've got 21 players that are 28 years old or older, and 13 that are over 30 years old:
Hester, Devin WR 30
Scott, Jonathan T 30
Spencer, Chris G/C 30
Campbell, Jason QB 31
Tillman, Charles CB 31
Briggs, Lance LB 32
Idonije, Israel DL 32
Garza, Roberto C/G 33
McCown, Josh QB 33
Peppers, Julius DE 33
Urlacher, Brian LB 34
Mannelly, Pat LS 37
Mare, Olindo K 39
Looking at that list, it could be argued that a handful of those players won't be back in 2013. Hester is on the fence with retirement, and could be cut if he doesn't, Campbell's contract is up and wants to compete for a starting job somewhere, Urlacher is no longer under contract, and Mare only had a one-season deal for 2012.
It's impossible to gauge exactly where teams rank with age of rosters, as players are constantly being cut, traded, etc., but one thing we do know: The Bears ain't young, and it might be time to start infusing the roster with a little more youth.