The Chicago Bears got an absolute steal when they selected Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the 25th overall pick. He’s an incredibly fast and smart player who will make Chicago’s secondary better upon his arrival.
Opposite new free-agent addition Coby Bryant, Chicago could very well have a dominant, versatile safety duo that elevates the secondary and Dennis Allen’s defense as a whole.
Despite general manager Ryan Poles and his staff making a great pick on Thursday night, there’s still an elephant in the room. The Bears have yet to address their defensive line with any consequential players. They desperately need another edge rusher to line up opposite Montez Sweat, and they need a disruptive interior defensive lineman who can get after the quarterback and play a role in stopping the run better.
Following Round 1, Poles was asked about the defensive line, and he gave a somewhat disturbing answer regarding his plans to fix it.
“The [defensive] line helps the back end more often than not,” Poles said. “In this situation, we have good corners and good safeties. We can be in a position where we can have the [opposing] quarterback hold the ball a little longer.”
This is incorrect and a disturbing thought process by Poles. The Bears led the NFL in takeaways (33) and interceptions (23) last season, despite having one of the worst pass rushes in the league. That’s almost certainly not going to happen again. They’d be lucky to finish in the top 10 of takeaways with that level of pass rush.
Without creating constant pressure on the opposing quarterback, he is less likely to make a mistake that will lead to a turnover. Chicago’s defense made a lot of plays in 2025, but that must be expected to regress to the mean a year later. Poles’ response makes it seem like he doesn’t see last year’s defensive results as fool’s gold.
This group is okay and far from the worst defense in the NFL, but they are not good enough to match what Ben Johnson’s offense may be able to do. Poles and his staff can’t let that stand in the way of them taking a step as an organization. Regardless of his comments, Poles has a chance to add impact players to the defensive line on Days 2 and 3 of the draft.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ryan Poles gives disturbing answer about Bears defensive line
Reporting by Vincent Parise, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
