Defense falters, key players depart. Chicago pivots strategy, aggressively targeting specific scheme fits in this year's pivotal NFL Draft.
The Chicago Bears had a magical 2025 season, reaching the playoffs for the first time in years.
The Bears made some great strides in the first year under Ben Johnson, but it became clear they weren't a perfect team.
The offense wasn't the problem. The Bears ranked in the top 15 of the league in multiple offensive categories.
The defense was where things were inconsistent.
The only thing Chicago was good at was forcing turnovers, leading the NFL with 33 in the regular season.
The Bears were in the bottom half of the league in rushing yards, passing yards and points allowed per game.
On top of that, the franchise said goodbye to various defensive starters in free agency. Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker and Nahshon Wright departed the team in free agency, with Tremaine Edmunds being released as a cap casualty.
General Manager Ryan Poles addressed some of those losses in free agency, bringing in safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush.
The Bears had a lot of needs on defense to address in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night. Chicago came into the first round with the No. 25 pick.
Do they go edge rusher or defensive tackle? Left tackle is also a concern after the late-season injury to Ozzy Trapilo.
Chicago went with neither of those positions, drafting Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman in the first round.
Thieneman fills one of the starting safety positions on Dennis Allen's defense, alongside Bryant.
After the first round ended, Poles spoke to the media and shared what had changed from previous drafts. He stated that this was the most aggressive Chicago has ever been in searching for true scheme fits.
"I'll say this, this was probably the most aggressive we were in terms of the guys that we really like," Poles said. "Like, they have to play our style. They got to have the right makeup. In terms of our scheme fits, like all of that had to be there. If it wasn't there, you're off the board. We were really aggressive with it. When you look at it, it feels really thin, but that's a good thing. I think it's a really good thing because we're very selective of who we want."
Thieneman played for two different programs in college.
He started his career at Purdue in 2023. He was a three-star recruit out of high school, but that didn't stop him from pursuing his dreams.
Thieneman announced his arrival as a true freshman, recording 106 total tackles, six interceptions and two TFLs. He had another 100-tackle season in 2024, along with 4.5 TFLs and two sacks.
After two seasons at Purdue, he entered the transfer portal and landed at Oregon. Thieneman had 96 total tackles, two interceptions, 3.5 TFLs, and one sack in his final season of college football.
Chicago needed a safety with the lack of starting experience for Cam Lewis. Poles found his man in Thieneman after identifying him as a scheme fit.