Dillon Thieneman got the start for the Chicago Bears‘ defense last Saturday against the Cleveland Browns. That wasn’t a surprise. The 1st round pick is trying to learn Dennis Allen’s scheme as quickly as possible. The best way to do that is to get some live game reps. He played 14 in total—enough for two series. What was surprising was that his name was never called at any point. Some may take that as a bad sign. The rookie wasn’t making plays. However, there is another way to look at it.
Were the Browns avoiding him?
It sounds crazy for a preseason game. Yet when you go back to look at some of the tape, you notice signs that the Browns avoided throwing the ball his way.
The Bears clearly deployed Thieneman with a plan. They used his speed to maximum effect, keeping him deep on passing downs while moving him outside on run plays if runners reached the edge. It is puzzling that Cleveland never tested him. He is a rookie after all. One would think their coaches would allow their veteran quarterback to take a shot or two his way. Yet the Browns seemed to avoid him for the most part.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
Dillon Thieneman showcased why the Bears drafted him.
One of the primary issues they had last season was that when they weren’t taking the ball away, they left a lot of throwing windows open too long. That was because they lacked much speed at safety. Kevin Byard was in his 30s and had lost a step. Jaquan Brisker was never known for great range in the first place. That is why the team spent its largest free-agent contract and top draft pick on the position. They wanted to get faster. Thieneman showcased some of that in the win over Cleveland. He took what could’ve been big plays and turned them into manageable ones.
Fans probably want to see more dynamic plays. Where are the interceptions and such? Asking that of a rookie at this stage is unfair. Dillon Thieneman is playing in a defense that is notoriously complex. Allen himself said it’s a lot to digest. The goal right now is getting the rookie acclimated without overwhelming him. Aside from some unfortunate run-ins with Colston Loveland in camp, he’s looked the part. As we saw last season, the Bears are confident in their approach. If Thieneman sticks to the plan, he should improve considerably as the season progresses.
The good news is he doesn’t seem lost.
Thienemen is not perturbed by the heavy workload. He’s putting in all the time necessary. There hasn’t been an instance throughout camp where it looked like he was lost. His only true down moments came when he had to cover a likely future All-Pro tight end. That can be forgiven. Otherwise, he has stuck his nose into every play and kept himself in the right position. This is the sort of stuff you see from rookies.
First comes the search for consistency. Once that comes, the confidence soon follows. When both combine, that is usually when the big plays start happening. Maybe they’ll come later this season. Maybe they will wait until next year. The objective remains unchanged. Get Thieneman as much experience as possible. It at least looks like opponents respect his capability, if not his reputation just yet.
