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No Second Thoughts by Bears After Seeing Dillon Thieneman Operate

Dennis Allen clarifies why Dillon Thieneman was the essential Round 1 pick for the Chicago Bears, providing the high-IQ processor required for his secondary.
Gene Chamberlain|
Dillon Thieneman (31) runs through drills during rookie minicamp at The Walter Payton Center.
Dillon Thieneman (31) runs through drills during rookie minicamp at The Walter Payton Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — As the Bears’ 2026 rookie class roamed over the practice fields in Lake Forest this weekend, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was able to demonstrate the specific schematic reason the Chicago Bears prioritized Dillon Thieneman in Round 1. While critics hollered for a pass rusher, Allen and the Bears front office focused on a future captain and communicator. One who has incredible football instincts and a 4.35 40-yard dash time.

May 8, 2026; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears DB Dillon Thieneman speaks during Rookie Minicamp at Halas Hall.
May 8, 2026; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears DB Dillon Thieneman speaks during Rookie Minicamp at Halas Hall. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Why Dennis Allen views Dillon Thieneman as the brain of the Bears secondary

Failure by the Bears to draft a pass rusher or run stopper in Round 1 drew little criticism.  

When it also happened in Rounds 2 and 3, the real hollering began. It's not easy to slam a team and its GM when they're missing a starter at only one position and the second-best player in the draft at that position falls into their lap late in Round 1.

Passing on safety Dillon Thieneman would have been something to really get angry about, but not just because of the position he plays or even the athletic ability he displayed at Halas Hall over the weekend in rookie minicamp. What Thieneman brings to the Bears' secondary is a double dose of what makes for great safeties, and as a result defensive coordinator Dennis Allen sees the former Oregon an Purdue player as an ideal top pick.

Theineman as the complete safety

It's often argued good safeties can be found later in the draft, and if this is the case then perhaps a good case can be made for taking a pass rusher in Round 1 rather than a safety. Don't suggest this to Allen, though.

"Yes, you can find those guys later in the draft, because what they may lack in some of the athletic skillset they make up in terms of their mental processing," Allen said. "So when you’re looking at players in the draft, there seems to be a tendency to draft a skillset early, or an athletic skillset early, and think, well, we can develop that as a football player."

In Allen's view, there is less to develop with Thieneman. The talent was obvious both on film and at the scouting combine, as well as at rookie camp.

There was something else apparent, and it's the defining characteristic for top safeties in his schemes over the years.

“All of them are really smart," Allen said. "I think to play that position, there's a lot of things that go on at that position. There’s a ton of different areas that you have to fill in. You might be a curl flat defender, you might be a hook curl defender, you might be a middle third defender, a deep quarter defender, a deep half defender. There's a ton of different things that you have to be able to do, and you’re getting everybody on the same page in terms not only some of the run fit stuff that we do, but also in terms of the coverage responsibility.

"So there's a lot of communication that goes on at that position. And those guys have to be smart, and it's not just book smart. It’s being able to think and process alright and make really good decisions. I think that's what all the great ones really do.”

In Thieneman, he sees the brains and speed to help operate the scheme from the back end.

“I mean, obviously you can see his athleticism on the tape, but the biggest thing was he found his way around the ball a lot," Allen said. "And to be able to do that, there has to be some intelligence about him and there has to be some instincts about him.

"I think that was the first thing that when you're looking at college safeties or safeties in general, is that it's a production position. And that production can come in a lot of different ways, whether it be, tackles or interceptions or any of those types of things. But safety's a position that you find your way around the ball, and the best ones do.”

The best ones do this by using their brains and speed.

Thieneman did this last year

The one season Thieneman played at Oregon under coach Dan Lanning helped prove or improve Thieneman's ability to quickly diagnose and react and to lead a scheme from in back. In his first two years at Purdue, Thieneman played more of a traditional deep safety. While that helped his ability to read and act — or react — getting more to do at the position while at Oregon helped earn him Round 1 status.

"I think Dan Lanning runs a pretty complex system there at Oregon," Allen said. "They ask those guys to do a lot of different things. You saw him play as a down safety. You saw him play in the middle of the field. You saw him play, kind of call it like a rover type position, so you just saw him do a lot of different things, which leads you to believe that his ability to learn and his ability to process information and apply it on the field, are some of the things that we are looking for.”

The Bears started out Thieneman playing strong safety at Friday's practice. It makes sense.

Deep safety is the natural spot he started out playing in college. Then he advanced. He already knows it. Getting him work right away at strong safety shows how advanced he is, and the ultimate plan by Allen is to have versatile DBs capable of playing multiple positions. It becomes extremely easy to disguise this way.

The fit is perfect in this case, and it's definitely a pick no one can complain about for Round 1. aa

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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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