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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 08: General Manager Ryan Poles of the Chicago Bears looks on prior to a game against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field on September 08, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bears have caught more than their fair share of heat for failing to upgrade the defensive line during the NFL draft, but the so-called cost of doing business could end up paying off major dividends in the form of safety Dillon Thieneman.

Chicago’s defense does need a better pass rush and it could use an upgrade at defensive tackle, but the team also lost both of its starting safeties when Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker each departed in March for one-year deals from AFC playoff teams.

Several prominent mock drafts, including the final submissions from and Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN and Todd McShay of The Ringer, had Thieneman coming off the board in the late teens to either the Minnesota Vikings (No. 18) or Carolina Panthers (No. 19). Instead, Thieneman fell to No. 25, where the Bears acquired him at significant hypothetical value.

Tom Blair of NFL Network predicted on Tuesday, May 5 that Thieneman’s hypothetical value has a chance to translate into an immediate on-field impact, when he dubbed him among the 10 rookies in the “best position to succeed.”

Dillon Thieneman Stepping into Winning Situation with Bears

GettyChicago Bears safety Dillon Thieneman.

Blair’s projection applies to Thieneman’s rookie campaign in 2026, though he extended it beyond just one season given the Bears’ roster makeup and other factors that should play in the safety’s favor.

Thieneman looks ready to take on a good chunk of the load in Dennis Allen’s secondary. The Bears ranked 16th in EPA per dropback last season and 22nd in passing yards allowed per game, propped up by the highest single-season interception rate (4.3%) since the [New England] Patriots rocked a 4.7% in 2019, plus the highest overall turnover total (33, including 23 picks and 10 fumbles) by any team since the [Dallas] Cowboys had 34 in 2021.

Maybe Chicago will be able to repeat its dominance of those categories, but just in case the tips and bounces don’t go the Bears’ way again, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get some bonafide difference-making play from the safety spot. … NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s No. 16-ranked prospect has a golden opportunity to help power a return trip to the playoffs for Chicago.

Dillon Thieneman Has Playmaking Abilities That Render Him Candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year

GettyFormer Oregon Ducks safety Dillon Thieneman.

Thieneman’s ball skills are good enough to render him a potential candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year given the outsized impact he can make as an aggressive safety impacting different phases of the game.

He tallied two interceptions last season at Oregon after tallying six of them during his freshman campaign at Purdue. Thieneman also forced two fumbles for the Boilermakers that season.

He has tallied 10 tackles for loss and a couple of sacks across his 39 games played at the collegiate level, adding 14 pass breakups and 306 combined tackles.

Thieneman is probably going to step into a starting role, and it is reasonable for one to assume he will be the strongest statistical producer for the Bears at the safety spot, where Byard earned first-team All-Pro honors last season.

Chicago is also the reigning NFC North Division champions and won a playoff game in January. The DROY doesn’t necessarily have to play for a winning team to earn the award, as linebacker Carson Schwesinger (the No. 33 overall pick in 2025) proved during his rookie season with the Cleveland Browns last year.

But winning certainly helps, and Thieneman is in position to contribute to it in meaningful fashion in Chicago this season.