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Chicago Bears receive high praise and perfect grade for Joe Thuney trade

The Chicago Bears are already being praised for their decision to trade for Chiefs All-Pro guard Joe Thuney.

Bryan Perez

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The early returns are in for the Chicago Bears' trade for Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro guard Joe Thuney, and it's pretty clear GM Ryan Poles hit a home run.

The Athletic's Jeff Howe graded the Thuney blockbuster and dubbed the Bears a big winner.

Chicago scored an 'A'.

"Thuney is a left guard by trade, but he can spot start at left tackle and center if necessary." Howe wrote. "Quite frankly, he’s versatile and talented enough to play all five positions on the line.

"He is a leader with an extensive Super Bowl pedigree, and those intangible factors will help a young locker room as it tries to find its way under a new head coach. The Bears are getting closer, and this is the type of trade that should go down as one of the best moves of the offseason."

ansas City Chiefs guard Joe Thuney (62) against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX
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Joe Thuney redefines the Chicago Bears offensive line

Before the Thuney trade, the Bears' offensive line consisted of Darnell Wright and... that's about it.

Incumbent left tackle Braxton Jones is recovering from a serious leg injury at the end of last season, and the lineup lacked a starting center and both guards until a day ago.

Now, with Jackson and Thuney in place, Chicago's starting five is beginning to take shape.

But it's Thuney who's the game-changer.

"Thuney, a first-team All-Pro over the past two seasons, is a four-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots and Chiefs, and he’s making a case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame," Howe wrote. "He has started 98.6% (146 of 148) of regular-season games since entering the league with the Patriots in 2016."

As Howe noted, the Bears' trade for Joe Thuney will go down as one of the best moves of the 2025 NFL offseason, and free agency hasn't even started yet.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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