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Dillon Thieneman's Chicago Bears Fit Backed by all the Best Numbers

The stopwatch favored Dillon Thieneman at the combine and the Bears see evidence it can carry over when they get on the field.
Gene Chamberlain|
Dillon Thieneman arrives to try and stop Indiana wide receiver Elijah Sarratt after a fourth-quarter catch.
Dillon Thieneman arrives to try and stop Indiana wide receiver Elijah Sarratt after a fourth-quarter catch. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

In Dillon Thieneman's case, the film backs the stopwatch.

The Bears’ top pick in the draft has both kinds of speed: stopwatch speed and playing speed. It's more of an eye test when it comes to the impact Thieneman can have on this Bears defense, although the stopwatch definitely backs up what the eye detects.

Thieneman acknowledged the difference between the stopwatch and what he can do to help the Bears in the secondary for actual games. His game speed is at least impressive as what he showed with a 4.35-second clocking for the 40-yard dash at the combine.

"I feel like speed is very interesting, because there's normal speed, and then there's game-playing speed," Thieneman said. "So, the more you can process or recognize, the faster you can play in-game closer to your true speed.”

The speed is natural but enhanced because Thieneman does his homework on teams and then is quick to diagnose what's going on, so that he has a head start besides having the running edge.

"I truly think he plays to the 4.35," Bears director of college scouting Breck Ackley said after the Bears had made Thieneman their first-round pick. "That's the interesting thing. We thought he could run on tape and then he goes to combine and he confirms it.

"I mean, we have data. We have GPS. We have scouts that go see live and everybody along the way said ‘OK, this guy can run.’ We feel like he has very good speed and then he goes to combine and matches it."

The tape doesn't lie.

"You see a guy that can close space really fast," Ackley said. "So, when we talk about place, that place speed, that is a combination of the ability to run, combined with how quickly he can diagnose and trigger. And I think he's high level in both of those categories.”

Further support from team numbers

The impact of Thieneman's play speed showed up in some of Oregon's statistics, although this is something to be careful with because line play impacts the secondary stats from year to year.

However, Oregon finished fourth in the country in passing yards allowed last year after they were 25th in 2024. They were fourth in completion percentage allowed after they had been 14th the previous year and were sixth in passer rating allowed after they were 14th the previous year.

Without Thieneman in the secondary for the first time since 2022, Purdue last year finished last in the nation in passer rating allowed.

Partners in speed

The idea in the Bears' secondary is not the traditional strong safety in the box and the free playing deep center fielder. They're interchangeable roles safeties, although one might wind up going into the box a bit more overall on the year.

The goal with Thieneman was finding someone who's speed to diagnose and then arrive complemented or was similar to that of the other interchangeable safety, Coby Bryant.

The bottom line result in pass coverage for this scheme with having faster players for the position than before is being able to match up in man-to-man coverage situations better. Look back at the key play that ended the Bears' season for an example. Puka Nacua got behind safety Kevin Byard on third down and made the 16-yard catch and run before Jaylon Johnson brought him down. That let the Rams kick the game-winning field goal.

If you can match a very fast safety up on Nacua for that play and prevent the first down, the Rams aren't in field goal range at that point considering the field conditions.

"I think you match up better," Bears GM Ryan Poles said. "You eliminate, every time, especially our pro staff, when we do an advance on our opponent, we're looking for targets. We're looking for guys that we can find mismatches on and expose.

"So, when you have speed and you have a lot of guys that can cover in different spots, your ability to hang in there, cover longer while you're bringing pressure, things like that, enhances the entire defense.”

The Bears forced 33 turnovers last year, including a team-high 23 interceptions. Trying to do it again won't be easy, but they feel like they have given themselves the physical tools to do it. Even if their pass rush remains only mediocre or worse, their secondary's speed can make up for some of this.

“That group can elevate," Poles said. "Obviously, there's a lot of turnovers. You can increase that number, which is going to be a big challenge for those guys. But I think, like I said, taking the air out.

"Anytime we've seen a defense and you feel like it's suffocating because of the speed, that's what we're trying to do.”

There's a lot that goes into a number and the speed numbers on Thieneman cover all of this, making this potentially a winning choice or their first pick.

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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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