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Bears Rookie Dillon Thieneman Quickly Forced Into NFL Multitasking

The Bears had planned to get their rookie safety exposed to several positions for depth's sake, but they'll be pushing the limits with this due to injuries.
Gene Chamberlain|
Dillon Thieneman makes a point at a Halas Hall press conference. Even if the Bears didn't want to expose him to too much too fast, they must because of safety injuries.
Dillon Thieneman makes a point at a Halas Hall press conference. Even if the Bears didn't want to expose him to too much too fast, they must because of safety injuries. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

In Wednesday's very light Bears non-padded practice, rookie Dillon Thieneman came face to face with a matchup nightmare in red zone coverage for any safety, let alone an inexperienced one.

That would be second-year tight end Colston Montgomery. Thieneman couldn't stop a back-shoulder pass to Montgomery, probably because of a little late jump. But then again, would Thieneman even be asked to cover a big tight end one on one in passing situations like this if the Bears had their full group of safeties available?

What's obvious is at this point Thieneman is going to need to play a lot more of the strong safety spot than back where he can better utilize his great 4.36-second 40-yard speed at free safety. He's playing the spot Coby Bryant manned and he really has to because of the leg injury the veteran DB suffered.

Thieneman is not a box safety in the traditional sense of a strong safety who goes down into the linebacker area and has heavy run-stopper responsibility. However, Thieneman does have to handle more of these situations now and the Bears saw him as versatile enough to handle this type of chore even if it's less than desireable.

"I feel very comfortable," Thieneman said. "Still obviously getting more reps, can be better at that. Always working to get better. I feel good down there. I feel like more reps, I'll get more and more comfortable."

This isn't really ideal but necessary. Take a look at the weights and it's easy to see why the Bears must play Thieneman out of position. Or, at least it's out of position for now.

Thieneman is a 5-foot-11, 204-pounder. The Bears are now using veteran free agent acquisition Cam Lewis in back more and really must. He is only 5-9, 183. If he's put into the box, he could wind up flattened. He is an ideal size for a slot cornerback but definitely not for playing down in the box to stop running games and cover bigger tight ends.

The Bears' hands are tied for now

When they get back backup Elijah Hicks, he is 5-11, 204 and although he is a sub, his Pro Football Focus grades show he has always been above average stopping the run while less adept in pass coverage. On their grading scale, he's never been worse than 67.4 as a run stopper and even much better than that in some seasons, which is not a bad level at all.

Coordinator Dennis Allen doubts there will be an emphasis on changing up what Thieneman does on a full-time basis. They're trying to develop him by explosing to all types of challenges, but when the regular season roles around they won't have Bryant. It's uncertain what Hicks' status is, although a shin injury doesn't sound serious and actually sounds simple enough he could be back soon. Then again, ask Kevin White about that type of injury.

Thieneman will just keep working like a rookie should regardless of what seems a role he's less suited to handle.

"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.”

Actually, coaches had been teaching Thieneman more of the slot position than the box before the injury occurred. Now it's simply going to have to change based on roster numbers. The safety they added, Marlen Sterling, is likely not a serious roster candidate and Gervarrius Owens would rate above him now.

Thieneman is going to rapidly need to get better at more than one position because of the way they've been forced to start the season with two safeties out.

One of Thieneman's great strengths according to GM Ryan Poles was how sharp he is.

He'll need every bit of that to keep learning two positions at once while the injuries continue to plague their safety corps. This isn't the ideal way to develop a young player but they will do what they must.

The only real way to keep him at his deep safety spot as much as possible would be to go out and sign a veteran free agent safety or trade for one, and for now this seems unlikely.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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