After watching quarterback Caleb Williams get sacked a league-high 68 times as a rookie, general manager Ryan Poles and company put forward a diligent effort to fix the issue. One of their biggest moves was acquiring guard Joe Thuney in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Thuney’s arrival comes at the same time as new head coach Ben Johnson. The latter will be tasked with building the Bears’ new foundation and imparting his offensive wisdom onto Chicago. And Thuney will play a crucial role in ensuring that offensive gameplan has a sturdy blocking scheme up front.
For a multitude of reasons, Poles knew he wanted to trade for Thuney if he was truly available. The only problem was the general manager didn’t actually think the guard was. Poles revealed that he didn’t expect the Chiefs to accept his Thuney trade offer, via Adam Hoge and Adam Jahns.
“I thought I was going to get turned down, to be honest with you, and they were going to find a way [to keep him,]” Poles said.
Ryan Poles on @HogeAndJahns about the Joe Thuney trade proposal to Kansas City:
"I thought I was going to get turned down."
— Brendan Sugrue (@BrendanSugrue) April 3, 2025
Chicago Bears’ aggressive offseason
The Bears sent the Chiefs a 2026 fourth-rounder to acquire Thuney. It came after Chicago traded away a 2025 sixth-rounder to the Los Angeles Rams for fellow guard Jonah Jackson. And after they were on the team, the Bears signed center Drew Dalman to a three-year, $42 million contract.
Chicago entered the offseason with plenty of cap space to work with. It’s clear that had a plan in mind and they were able to execute it almost immediately once their window opened. While Poles has made aggressive moves in the past – see their trade with the Carolina Panthers – the fact Chicago was so invested in building the offensive line is telling.
Johnson made a name for himself turning the Detroit Lions into an offensive dynamo. They were known for their explosive plays. But none of that happens if Jared Goff doesn’t have proper protection up front. But none of that happens if the Lions don’t give him time in the pocket. Detroit allowed 33 sacks in 2024, 10-fewest in the NFL.
The Bears want Williams to be the star of their franchise. After hiring an offensive-minded head coach in Johnson, Chicago ensured his offensive line got a major facelift.
Joe Thuney gives Bears a player to build around
Thuney already has four Super Bowl titles to his name. He, nor the Bears will get ahead of themselves, but he is surely seeking out number five in Chicago. As the team takes their first steps towards contention, Thuney’s contributions will be pivotal.
The now left guard has started 146 games at the NFL level, consistently proving to be a workhorse on the gridiron. He is coming to the Bears off of back-to-back All-Pro seasons. Furthermore, Thuney has been voted to the Pro Bowl his past two seasons. He might be entering his age-33 campaign, but the guard is at the top of his game.
During the 2024 season, Thuney earned an overall grade of 79.9 from Pro Football Focus. His 73.5 run blocking grade ranked 23/135 but Thuney truly shined in the pass block, where he ranked fifth/135 guards with an 82 grade. Both attributes the Bears will be counting on him to bring to Chicago.
Furthermore, Johnson is entering his first year as an NFL head coach. For as much hype as he has drawn, that’s still a major leap to make. Having a Super Bowl winning player like Thuney to lean on will be crucial. Whenever things get tricky, which is bound to happen over a 17 game season, Johnson and the Bears can turn to the All-Pro guard.
Poles might not believe it, but Thuney is now a member of the Bears. He will be a key piece in helping turn around Chicago’s offense and getting the franchise back to the top of the NFC North.
Chicago Bears NFL Draft target compared to 4-time All-Pro
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