Dennis Allen knows a thing or two about the safety position. He played it in college at Texas A&M and briefly in the NFL. Then he coached it for years as a defensive backs coach at various stops before ascending to offensive coordinator. The array of names he’s worked with is beyond impressive: Tyrann Mathieu, Roman Harper, Darren Sharper, Malcolm Jenkins, Brian Dawkins, Vonn Bell, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Kevin Byard. So if anybody was qualified to assess whether Dillon Thieneman was worth taking 25th overall by the Chicago Bears last month, it was him.
This was a first for Allen. In his long coaching career, he has never been involved in taking a safety in the 1st round. That must mean he has a high opinion of Thieneman as a talent. This is true. Yes, the pure physical talent is impressive. Having a guy who is 6’0″, 200+ lbs, who can run 4.35 is rare. However, that isn’t what sets the rookie apart. In Allen’s mind, what makes Thieneman special is his mix of intelligence and instincts. That is what will separate him from everybody else.
“Obviously you can see his athleticism on the tape,” Allen said. “But the biggest thing was he found his way around the ball a lot. To be able to do that, there has to be some intelligence about him and there has to be some instincts about him.
“And I think when you’re looking at college safeties or safeties in general, it’s a production position. That production can come in a lot of different ways, whether it be tackles or interceptions or PBUs or any of those things. But safety is a position where you find your way around the ball. The best ones do. I thought that showed up with him.”
Dillon Thieneman can think the game.
That may sound like a small thing, but it is most definitely not. If you look back across the last few decades at the best safeties to play the game, they all share that one trait in common. Dawkins? Ed Reed? Troy Polamalu? Harrison Smith? All of them were savants between the ears. They constantly understood what offenses were trying to do and had the wherewithal to make adjustments on the fly. Thieneman exhibits many of those qualities. It isn’t often you see a safety be the one directing traffic on defense, but that is what he did at Oregon.
His coaches called him a version of Brian Urlacher, often operating in the middle of the field as their eyes and ears. When was the last time the Bears had a safety like that? One would probably have to go back to Mike Brown in the 2000s. Older fans will remember how excellent the former 2nd round pick was when healthy. The defense played at peak levels with him on the field. Even Urlacher admitted he was the true brains of the operation, which is why the injuries that shortened his career were so gutwrenching.
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Thieneman landed in the perfect situation.
Not only will he be under the guidance of Allen, a former safety, but he’ll also have two excellent position coaches to further his education. Al Harris played cornerback in the NFL for several years, earning multiple Pro Bowl selections. Then you have safeties coach Matt Giordano, who played nine seasons in the league and won a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. If Dillon Thieneman can’t find success with this setup, then he was never meant to excel at the professional level.
Early signs are promising. Reports from rookie minicamps last week indicated the 1st round pick was already seizing control of defensive drills, directing teammates on where to line up. If he’s already doing that with minimal knowledge of the playbook, there is no telling how much better it will get as his experience keeps growing. Thieneman is only 21 years old. He’ll have an outstanding mentor in Coby Bryant to help guide his path. Allen is right. Great things are ahead for him.
