The Chicago Bears shocked the NFL world in the 2025 NFL Season, roaring toward an 11-6 record and an NFC North title in a year that not many saw coming. Chicago saw first-year head coach Ben Johnson cement himself as one of the NFL's best in short order.
However, despite winning 11 games and a playoff game, the Bears did leave a bit to be desired, especially on the defensive side of the ball. To be blunt, the defense just was not good, and outside of forcing a ton of takeaways, the unit struggled to do much else well.
It's clear that General Manager Ryan Poles felt similarly as well, as in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Bears used their first selection on a do-it-all safety in Dillon Thieneman from Oregon.
Chicago Bears put the finishing touches on an elite secondary with Dillon Thieneman pick
Joining Coby Bryant in the safety room, Thieneman and the newly-signed Bryant form a brand-new duo on the backend of the defense, as Poles and the front office continue a ton of shifting in the secondary.
Not only was Chicago among the worst teams in the league in stopping the run, but they also allowed 32 passing touchdowns, good for the fourth-most in the league. They also allowed over 4,000 yards through the air and an opposing completion percentage of 66.6 percent, which are all bad numbers.
Thieneman is going to help fix all of this. Still just 21 years old, he has the ability to drop back in coverage and is willing to make some noise near the line of scrimmage. The Bears clearly value the Oregon product for his ability in both phases.
You obviously don't draft a defensive tackle to drop him into coverage, but you can draft a defensive back to put him in coverage and to help against defending the run. Having a defensive back like Thieneman on the roster is going to make the entire operation on defense that much easier for Dennis Allen.
And given that the Bears managed to win 11 games in 2025, the sky could truly be the limit for 2026, especially if this defense can simply be average. The Bears may not only have addressed a position of need, but also gotten the best player available.
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Chicago's trending in the right direction and have infused this roster with a key talent in Thieneman.