4 Chicago Bears most likely to win NFL's inaugural Protector of the Year award

After announcing that the controversial 'Tush Push' variant of the quarterback sneak would remain legal, the NFL unveiled a brand-new award to debut for the 2025 season: Protector of the Year.

According to the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, Troy Vincent, this is an award that will be given to the league's best offensive lineman in recognition of their contribution to winning.

The NFL is implementing a new annual player award: Protector of the year, given to the league’s best offensive linemen. ‘Recognize the big fellas,’ per NFL VP Troy Vincent.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) May 21, 2025

Such an award is long overdue. The job of the offensive lineman is among the most thankless in the NFL, and, despite how critical the unit is to a team's success, the individuals who make up the five-man line of protection have no shot of earning individual awards outside of Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods.

Every offensive lineman in the NFL is going to be chomping at the bit this year to be the inaugural winner of such a prestigious award, make no mistake about that. And unlike other awards, it feels like the winner could come from almost any team.

With that in mind, here are the four Chicago Bears most likely to be a finalist for Protector of the Year in 2025.

1. Joe Thuney

Despite not yet playing a single snap as a Bear, Thuney is far and away the team's best offensive lineman and will almost certainly be a finalist for this new award. With a handsome contract extension now in hand, Thuney can set his focus solely on helping turn this franchise around and making history as the NFL's first Protector of the Year.

2. Darnell Wright

Wright's arrow is pointing nearly straight up as he enters his third NFL season. The right tackle from Tennessee has been Chicago's most sure-handed protector over the last two years and should continue developing into a truly dominant force. If he takes another step forward in 2025, he could even overtake Thuney as the team's best offensive lineman and make a strong case to be Protector of the Year.

3. Drew Dalman

The Center is arguably the most important position on the offensive line, so Dalman becoming the first Protector of the Year as Chicago's Center would be only fitting. Dalman finished the 2024 season as the fourth-highest graded Center according to Pro Football Focus, and pairing him up now with four-time All-Pro Joe Thuney to his left could make him even better.

4. Kiran Amegadjie

How's this for a comeback story? Amegadjie, who wasn't even supposed to see the field in 2024 in an ideal situation, was forced into action as a rookie and looked utterly lost. But all is not lost and he still has the potential to be a plus-starter in the NFL.

Tackles built like Amedgadjie don't just show up anywhere. He's incredibly athletic and boasts 36" arms. He was short-changed in 2024 by missing all but the final week of training camp due to an injury, which robbed him of the opportunity to acclimate to NFL speed and strength, and a tumultuous coaching staff.

This would be the longest of longshots but seeing Amegadjie win the inaugural Protector of the Year award would be one of the NFL's most incredible stories.

Kiran Amegadji — Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

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