Chicago Bears players don’t win major awards. At least they haven’t for a long time. Joe Thuney broke that drought somewhat last season when he claimed the first-ever Offensive Lineman of the Year honor. While a well-deserved nod, it doesn’t carry the same prestige as MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, or Rookie of the Year. The last time a Bear won any of those was Brian Urlacher in 2005, taking home DPOY honors. Since then, fans have been waiting for someone else to break through. Could Dillon Thieneman be the unlikely hero?
ESPN thinks there is an outside shot. They listed the Bears’ 1st round pick as the third-ranked favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year this coming season.
3. Dillon Thieneman, S, Chicago Bears (+2500)
As a calculated long shot, the first-round pick is already Chicago’s starting strong safety. He should be around the ball plenty after playing 40% of his snaps in the box last season. Thieneman recorded 94 tackles in his final college season, while missing just 7.8% of his attempts.
Safeties rarely win DROY, but the last one to do it was Mark Carrier with the Bears in 1990. Thieneman is worthy of bringing the award back home, given his immediate role.
This is a bold mention. After all, no safety has won that award in the NFL for 35 years. Mark Carrier pulled it off in 1990 with Chicago. He had 10 interceptions that season. Truly one of the best for any rookie in history, regardless of position. What will it take for Thieneman to end that drought? That depends on what kind of production he puts together.
What must Dillon Thieneman do to get in the conversation?
Let’s be real. For this to be even a discussion, two things must happen. The young safety must have standout production, and the Bears must win games. No safety is winning Rookie of the Year without both. The more your team wins, the more you get noticed individually. It’s the law of sports. As for production? That is pretty straightforward. Only two safeties have won the award since its creation in 1967. We already noted that Carrier had 10 interceptions during his year. The other was Erik McMillan of the New York Jets. He finished with 8 as a rookie.
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Something like that hasn’t been done in the NFL in 17 years. The last one to reach it was Jairus Byrd in 2009, snagging 9 interceptions with the Buffalo Bills. He likely would’ve been a favorite for the award had the team not finished 6-10. The good news for Dillon Thieneman is that the Bears are a considerably better team than Buffalo was. He’s also in a defensive scheme under Dennis Allen that should give him ample opportunities to go after the ball. We saw that last season with Kevin Byard.
With Coby Bryant out, it should only lead to more.
Competition will be substantial.
Four defensive players went in the top seven picks alone this year. Two of them were pass rushers (David Bailey and Arvell Reese). We know how much the NFL loves sacks. If either of them goes off for big totals, there won’t be much Thieneman can do. Safeties don’t get the same recognition as that position, or cornerback, for that matter. It isn’t fair, but that is the reality. Not that the Bears are concerned. They have the utmost confidence that Thieneman will be up to the challenge.
We already know he catches on quickly. He had 6 interceptions as a freshman in college. There have been signs throughout training camp that Thieneman is improving. His grinding mentality was always going to serve him well. Never mind that he’s an athletic freak. Players like that almost always find early success in the NFL. Much will depend on staying healthy and how the team around him fares.
