With the No. 25 overall pick in this year’s draft, the Chicago Bears selected safety Dillon Thieneman out of Oregon, addressing a big hole in their secondary to pair new with free agent signing, Coby Bryant.
After losing their starting safeties in Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard this offseason, Chicago had a major need to not only bring in new starters but find the right fits for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and defensive backs coach Al Harris, looking to upgrade the defense this offseason.
The big obstacle for the Bears coaching staff will now be to get both Bryant and Thieneman acquainted with one another while relying on them to lead the back end of their secondary. Besides their football skills and speed assets, Bryant and Thieneman are also very versatile with both players being able to play either safety spot, if needed. Thieneman recently explained that’s the plan moving forward.
“I mean just more in the backhand,” Thieneman said when asked about what he expects his specific role to be. “They want me to know both positions. So just know all of the DB positions, but as of right now, I’m playing some strong safety, but still understanding what the free safety is doing.”
Thieneman and Bryant could be a very dynamic duo for the Bears secondary, needing to replace the starters lost from last year, looking to help improve a defensive unit that led the NFL in takeaways last season. The Bears coaching staff knew what they were looking for this offseason, and Thieneman will have plenty of responsibility in his rookie season for this defense.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Dillon Thieneman shared what Bears have planned for him
Reporting by Mike Pendleton, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
