Dillon Thieneman Pushing For Bears’ Starting Safety Job

To fill the void, Chicago signed former Seahawks starter Coby Bryant in free agency and drafted Dillon Thieneman out of Oregon in the first round of April’s draft. Bryant’s $40MM contract virtually guarantees him a starting job, and Thieneman is on track for the other. The No. 25 pick took first-team reps during mandatory minicamp and earned praise from his likely running mate.

“Once he sees something he recognizes, he makes a play right away,” Bryant said of his rookie teammate (via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin). “That’s the biggest thing, especially playing safety in this defense as well. He’s had a great spring. I know he’ll continue to grow.”

Thieneman, 21, started for three years in college, starting as a true freshman at Purdue in 2023. He earned Freshman All-American and Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors with an All-Big Ten honorable mention the year after. In 2025, he transferred to Oregon, where he was received second-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten nods. Thieneman’s standout season sent his draft stock through the roof, as did an exceptional performance at the Combine. Established as the consensus No. 2 safety in the class behind Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, Thieneman was even tabbed as a potential top-20 pick with frequent links to the Vikings’ No. 18 pick. Minnesota instead went with Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks, allowing the Bears to snap Thieneman up a few picks later.

His main competition for a starting job will be 2022 seventh-rounder Elijah Hicks, per Cronin. The 26-year-old made 15 starts with 1,011 defensive snaps across his first season but saw minimal playing time last year. He appeared in every game, primarily on special teams, with just 62 snaps on defense. Given that the Bears’ current coaching staff, including defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, only arrived in Chicago last year, Hicks’ experience may not give him much of a leg up in the upcoming training camp battle.

The Bears are not returning any other safeties who played for them last year, so the loser of the Thieneman-Hicks battle will take on the No. 3 role. Currently, UDFA Skyler Thomas and 2023 Day 3 picks (by other teams) Anthony Johnson Jr. and Gervarrius Owens make up the rest of Chicago’s safety room, quite an inexperienced group considering the team’s championship aspirations. Their confidence in Thieneman aside, a veteran signing to shore up their safety depth could be in play before training camp.