'Joe's going to be a future Hall of Famer' - Former teammate of Joe Thuney shares what Bears QB Caleb Williams can look forward to in 2025

Joe Thuney will be a leader on, and off, the field

That was truly some high praise coming from his former teammate, but no one's seen Thuney's level of work more closely than those battling in the trenches with him, such as Smith.

"He's not the biggest guy, but he knows how to manipulate people's body. Like, on a different level I didn't even know was possible," Smith added. "And for me, man, just having to lean on him, especially when I was younger; 'Hey, Joe, what would you do in this situation? How would you attack this? How would you sort of set this block up?' and having that resource there was invaluable..."

"And, just having a genuine friend too. A guy you can depend on, a brother, it's priceless. I have a ton of gratitude being able to work with Joe, being able to work cohesively as an interior unit as well. That was special."

That's the kind of locker room impact Thuney is now going to bring with him to Chicago, just like what he brought to New England and Kansas City. He's not only a tremendous player and blocker on the field, Thuney is a leader and someone who raises the level of those playing around him.

"I always want to be available for the guys in the O-line room," Thuney said. "Whether it be plays or situations or time of year, anything really to talk about—just things I've seen, things I've been through—and then try and just get a routine with guys and work, whether it be after practice or after meetings or whatever. You just want to be a resource for the guys and kind of show my routine through the season, through the offseason."

As for that cohesiveness on the interior Thuney helped build with Smith and Creed Humphrey with the Chiefs, the Bears are hoping they can recreate that over next three years with Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson all locked up under contract protecting Williams from the inside.

"Drew and Jonah are great guys," Thuney added. "They work relentlessly. Weight room, film room, every part of the game. You can tell how passionate they are for the game. It's cool that guys will be here for a couple years and you know that, so it's been great working with them."

Another position Thuney will help elevate over the next three years is left tackle. The Bears essentially drafted Ozzy Trapilo to be the future left tackle in April, and he'll have a chance to outright win the starting job as a rookie. Already after OTAs and minicamp Trapilo has discussed the benefit of lining up next to Thuney and picking his brain.

"He's a really nice guy, good dude," Thuney said of Trapilo. "Works really hard, gets in his playbook. It's a big jump going from college to the pros and he's working really hard, keeping his head down, listening, taking everything in like a sponge."

Thuney is an incredible resource to have on this team and his former Chiefs teammates are bummed to watch him go. If he can continue playing at the same All-Pro level in Chicago over the next few years, a Hall of Fame honor will be deserved for a player who continues to be a positive role model on and off the field.