Dillon Thieneman became the first defensive player drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 1st round in eight years last April. He was also the first safety taken that high by them since 1990. So yeah, Thieneman made a little bit of history when he heard his name called. The Bears felt the decision was more than justified. They were surprised the safety was even available at the 25th spot. His mix of instincts and elite athleticism made it feel like he was a lock to go in the top 20. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen practically jumped for joy when the Bears made the pick.
Another person happy with the result was head coach Ben Johnson. Though an offensive guru by trade, he had a key voice in evaluating Thieneman. General manager Ryan Poles mentioned how Johnson started rocking back and forth in his seat watching the safety’s tape. That is a dead giveaway to scouts that the head coach really likes a player. Johnson’s admiration for Thieneman seems to have only grown since then. He made that pretty clear during the Bears’ joint practice in Nashville with the Titans.
“He just comes into work and gets after it. (He’s) a little bit robotic like that — in a good way. I’m saying that as a compliment. He just puts his head down and grinds. And what you’ve seen is slow and steady progress throughout (camp).”
Dillon Thieneman is already ascending.
Training camp started as you’d expect. The rookie struggled at times, not handling the NFL’s sheer speed and pace very well. As a result, Caleb Williams, Colston Loveland, and the offense taught him several painful lessons in practice. However, instead of getting discouraged, Thieneman kept his head down and worked. Every day, he was on the field, in the film room, and speaking to veteran teammates about how he could get better. By the second week of camp, you started noticing a shift.
Suddenly, the 1st round pick wasn’t constantly on the back foot. He was squeezing throwing windows, chasing down ball carriers for shorter gains, and picking off passes here and there. Taking advantage of him had become more difficult. For somebody to make that kind of progress in such a short time speaks to how hard Dillon Thieneman works and his great feel for the game. You start to understand why Johnson is so enamored with him. He likes grinders, and the young safety is a born grinder.
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The timing of this can’t be understated.
Chicago is hurting at safety. Coby Bryant was supposed to be the position’s leader. No surprise after just winning a Super Bowl in Seattle. That went out the window when he injured his knee. With Bryant out for two months, the Bears need others to step up. That is particularly true with Thieneman. It might sound unfair to demand more of a rookie, but the defense needs help. Like any good teammate, he has answered the bell. Thieneman’s presence has become impossible to ignore.
The faster this happens, the better this defense will be once everybody is healthy again. Of course, that was the hope last year and it never materialized. More than anything, the Bears need their 1st round pick to control what he can control. Keep working hard and give it your all on Sundays. If he does that, the results should work out in his favor. The team believes he has big things ahead of him. The signs are already there.
