Bears rookie Dillon Thieneman’s immediate thought after 1st NFL interception

When the Chicago Bears used their first-round pick on Dillon Thieneman, he immediately became a building block on defense. Early on, the safety has been one of Chicago’s brightest stars.

Through the first three games, Thieneman leads the Bears with 23 tackles, adding three pass breakups – which is tied for the team lead – and an interception. If he continues playing like this, safety’s spot in the defense will remain secured for the foreseeable future.

In the Bears’ Week 3 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Thieneman led the team with six tackles and also made his first career pick. The rookie was all over the field, stopping the Eagles from moving forward numerous times.

Dillon Thieneman saves a TD on Saquon Barkley. Then stuffs Saquon at the goal line.

Then picks off Andy Dalton on the very next play. This is a rookie by the way. pic.twitter.com/XmzWeZIhsK

— Dave (@davebftv) September 29, 2026

Thieneman’s interception will be one he won’t forget anytime soon. He does admit that when he secured the ball, he did have some ulterior motives.

Chicago Bears’ Dillon Thieneman makes first NFL pick

At the back of the formation, Thieneman was scanning the field when Andy Dalton dropped back to pass. He saw the play unfold and found the perfect moment to attack. The safety was in the perfect spot, corralling his coveted first NFL interception, via CHGO.

“I was waiting in that second window, the ball was just right there,” Thieneman said.

Dillon Thieneman on his first career interception

Says he wanted to keep running with the ball but saw everyone looking at him and took a knee pic.twitter.com/z69hjC25K7

— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) September 29, 2026

When he realized he made the pick, Thieneman’s first thought was try to run out of the end zone and make a play. But with the lead and momentum on their side, the safety’s teammates talked him out of that plan.

“Oh yeah, I was trying to,” Thieneman said about taking the ball out. “I was running, about to make a move. Everybody was looking at me and was like, ‘No, don’t come out. So I just went down.”

While he is excited about the milestone, the rookie is well aware of the long season ahead of him. He will consistently be asked to make plays. But that’s a challenge Thieneman welcomes head on. He is already thinking towards his next pick.

“Excitement. Makes me want another one,” the rookie concluded.

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