An injury to veteran safety Coby Bryant forces a defensive reshuffle, thrusting Chicago Bears rookie Dillon Thieneman into an accelerated learning curve alongside new backfield partner Cam Lewis.
When a player like Coby Bryant goes down, there's a domino effect that impacts every level of the Chicago Bears' defense.
The veteran safety hyperextended his knee, sustaining a bone bruise and a small fracture, during Monday's first padded practice. Although surgery is not expected, he is expected to be sidelined for 8-10 weeks.
“Obviously it sucks to lose a guy like that for any particular time," defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. "And he's a big part of what we have planned to do and will still be a big part of what we have planned to do. But in all adversity also comes opportunity. So it'll be another opportunity for some other guys to step up, whether it be somebody in the safety room to step up and take on that role. Or some of our other guys in the room to step up and become the playmakers and the leaders for the defense. It's part of football. It's part of what you deal with, and you move on. So hopefully he'll be on the quicker end, and we'll get him back sooner rather than later.”
With Bryant out, veteran Cam Lewis has filled in at safety opposite of Dillon Thieneman. Training camp was supposed to provide the rookie time to develop chemistry with Bryant. That plan has changed, but Bryant's injury doesn't impact what Allen will ask of Thieneman.
“I don't think that's going to change a whole lot," Allen said. "I think our expectation for him, as a rookie, is that each and every day he learns a little bit more and he gets a little bit better. There's a lot to learn in the National Football League, there's a lot going on. The volume of what we do is more than what most rookies have ever done before. The volume of what they're seeing from our offense is going to be more than what they're used to seeing. I don't think we put any higher expectations on him. I think our focus is, you just be you. You do what you do. You continue to come in every day and work the way that you work, and he'll continue to get better.”
Thieneman is focused on making those daily improvements. He told reporters on Wednesday that things are "starting to slow down" and he's starting to "pick up things, tendencies from the offense."
Of course, the Bears' rookie safety misses playing alongside Bryant on the football field, but he's still in the meetings and sharing his knowledge with the group. For now, Thieneman and Lewis must continue getting to know each other and that starts with getting more reps.
"I'm locker buddies with Cam so I talk to him a good amount," Thieneman said. "Just getting out there, talking about how we see things, how we think about things, how we operate, we're both pretty similar in that aspect, so I think there's a good connection there."
Thieneman also mentioned that defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Al Harris has been working on crossing training him at nickel cornerback.
A lot is being thrown in Thieneman's direction, but how he handles the fast-paced nature of the NFL will determine how soon Allen can rely on his versatility as a foundation piece in the defense.
