How Bears Are Playing to Dillon Thieneman's Strengths

Chicago Bears safety Dillon Thieneman lined up all over the place in college. 

He split his time in college between Purdue and Oregon. He was the kind of player who could wreck games on defense. 

He lined up most at free safety, but also played in the box at slot corner, cornerback, and on the defensive line. Thieneman was quite literally everywhere all at once. 

It explains how he was able to finish with almost 100 tackles across all three seasons he played college football. 

Thieneman has been in an expanded role as a rookie, which may not have been the original plan. However, it's paying dividends for the Bears as they enter Week 4. 

Thieneman was supposed to learn from veteran safety Coby Bryant in the secondary. Then, disaster struck as Bryant suffered a significant knee injury in training camp. 

Bryant is expected to be out until at least December. The Bears signed Xavier Woods to make up for the injury. 

Luckily, Thieneman has been very receptive to what the Bears have been trying to do in the secondary. 

Thieneman has 23 total tackles, one interception with three PBUs. 

Head coach Ben Johnson said at a recent press conference that it's great that the Bears can plug Thieneman in wherever they need him. He credited defensive coordinator Dennis Allen for disguising coverages to use Thieneman in a variety of ways. 

"Well, I mean, that safety position in general can be challenging because, I mean, sometimes you got them playing half field and the ball never comes their way," Johnson said. "DA does a great job mixing up our coverages, to where sometimes he's the post safety. Sometimes he's playing quarters. He's all over. Sometimes he's blitzing. That's happened. And so we try to get him around the ball as much as we can just because know his speed, his instincts. He's a reliable tackler. We think all those things, the closer we can get him to the ball, the more playmaking opportunities will come his way." 

The Bears have a pretty solid recipe for success with Thieneman. Getting him involved on defense in as many ways as possible is a great plan. 

Chicago really knocked Thieneman's pick out of the park. The fact that a player of his talent was available at No. 25 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft is mind-blowing. 

With Bryant's injury, the Bears needed someone to step up in the secondary. Thieneman has answered that call and has had an impressive rookie season so far. 

In Week 4, Johnson faces someone familiar from his past. The Bears take on the New York Jets on Sunday. 

The Jets are coached by Aaron Glenn, who was with Johnson at the Detroit Lions. Johnson was the offensive coordinator, and Glenn was the defensive coordinator. Both left for head coaching jobs last year. 

Johnson had more success than Glenn did, but the Jets won't be an easy team to beat. New York has been competitive in all three games despite having a 1-2 record. 

If a couple more plays went the Jets' way, they could easily be 3-0. 

Sunday's game will be a good challenge for the Bears, as they look to increase their lead in the NFC North. 

Kickoff is set for noon CT on Fox.