Bears Dillon Thieneman gets surprise nod as possible Defensive Rookie of the Year from ESPN

Posted by Admin September 6, 2026 NFL

We already know first-round safety Dillon Thieneman will have to play up to his billing early for the Chicago Bears following the loss of running mate Coby Bryant in training camp.

Maybe that’s why one ESPN analyst is taking what she calls a “calculated long shot” on the 25th overall pick from the 2026 NFL Draft as a possible Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate

Pamela Maldonado made an interesting call in her preseason picks for the prestigious award, slotting Thieneman third on the list of DROY potentials behind Ohio State products Sonny Styles (Washington Commanders) and Arvell Reese (New York Giants)—both of whom were top-10 picks. DT Caleb Banks of the Minnesota Vikings and Chiefs rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane rounded out the five picks.

“The first-round pick is already Chicago’s starting strong safety. He should be around the ball plenty after playing 40% of his snaps in the box last season. Thieneman recorded 94 tackles in his final college season, while missing just 7.8% of his attempts,” Maldonado writes.

With his sub-4.4 speed and physicality in the box, Thieneman certainly has the tools to do a little bit of everything from the safety position, though his best usage might be as box safety with the versatility to cover multidimensional offensive players in the passing game rather than patrolling centerfield.

Earning that award, especially over highly touted pass-rushers and linebackers, might be a tough task, though. According to Maldonado’s research, a safety hasn’t won DROY since 1990. (So, literally since I was born.)

Coincidentally, though, the last safety to do it was the Bears’ own Mark Carrier, who went off for a league-leading 10 interceptions and earned a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie.

If Thieneman plays even half that well, that Rookie of the Year talk will be very deserved.

Now, a lot has to go right around Thieneman in order for him to make those impact plays. One can’t assume the Bears are going to notch 23 total interceptions again in 2026 with the defensive front looking as suspect as it currently does (though Thieneman might end up making a lot of tackles).

But if he’s as good as the Bears hope, perhaps he can help elevate a Bears defense in dire need of some blue-chip production.

And you never know: maybe one of his teammates, like cornerback Malik Muhammad or defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg, might sneak their way onto this watch list by the end of the year, too.