Chicago Bears: Rookie showed big improvement before training camp

There shouldn’t be too much of a surprise about what the Chicago Bears will do at safety for Week 1 when they travel to play the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 13.

After losing starters Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker in free agency, the Bears added former Seattle Seahawks safety Coby Bryant and took Dillon Thieneman with the No. 25 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Bears didn’t hand Thieneman a starting job right away, opting to put him with the second-team defense to start OTAs. He had some growing pains early, dropping an interception and doing pushups after the mistake.

But he’s come a long way since voluntary OTAs.

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Chicago Bears rookie Dillon Thieneman grew at OTAs

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Per Courtney Cronin of ESPN, Thieneman pushed his way to the first team during mandatory minicamps earlier in June. He’ll be in a great place to fight for more playing time as a starter during training camp this summer.

“Thieneman worked his way into first-team reps during mandatory minicamp while spending the spring learning Dennis Allen’s defense,” Cronin wrote.

“Thieneman has been a sponge, particularly with his teammates in the secondary, and soaked up as much knowledge as he could from fellow safeties Coby Bryant and Elijah Hicks, the latter of whom will push him for playing time. The Bears were drawn to Thieneman for his speed and versatility, two attributes he displayed this spring.”

Thieneman was known for his ball-hawking skills while at Oregon. Bryant noted Thieneman’s sixth sense for the football was noticeable during the spring.

“Once he sees something he recognizes, he makes a play right away,” Bryant said. “That’s the biggest thing, especially playing safety in this defense as well. He’s had a great spring. I know he’ll continue to grow.”

Thieneman made a big jump last season at Oregon after transferring from Purdue. Expect him to be an even better safety after learning from defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and his staff this summer.

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