Surprising Chicago Bears starter credited with Caleb Williams’ turnaround

Poles and head coach Ben Johnson oversaw a complete overhaul of the offensive line this past offseason, and so far, Thuney has been every bit as advertised and then some.

ESPN’s Courtney Cronin lists Thuney as the best player on the Bears’ roster, not named Caleb Williams, pointing out how instrumental the Super Bowl-winning guard has been to the former No. 1 overall pick’s rapid ascent among the elite quarterbacks across the league this season.

“The back-to-back first-team All-Pro left guard has been a model of consistency for the Bears’ offensive line,” Cronin writes of Thuney. “The stability Thuney provides up front allowed for a relatively seamless transition when Chicago switched left tackles in Week 6. It has also led to better protection for quarterback Caleb Williams, who went two games (vs. Cowboys, Giants) without taking a sack and has taken 14 on the season. Thuney is a big reason for that. Through the first eight games, he played every offensive snap (533) while giving up only one quarterback hit and zero sacks.” Thuney has effectively erased pressure from Williams’ blind-side, helping the former Heisman Trophy winner get off to a first half of the season that has him on pace to become the first 4,000-plus-yard passer in Bears franchise history. Pro Football Focus lists Thuney’s seven pressures surrendered as the 10th-fewest in the league, and he might already be one of the Bears’ most valuable players.

Expanded role could be on the way for Bears rookie Luther Burden

Bears second-round rookie wide receiver Luther Burden has shown flashes through the first half of the season, and Johnson might be about to turn him loose in Williams’ supporting cast. “You’ve slowly started to see his rep count go up,” Johnson recently told reporters, of Burden. “He’s a guy who’s starting to get more targets.” The former Missouri standout had a breakout performance in the Bears’ win over the Dallas Cowboys, earlier this season, catching three passes for 101 yards and his lone touchdown of his rookie campaign, thus far. But, given Burden’s size and traits combined with the Bears’ sudden issues dropping passes in the receiving corps, and he could see an uptick in playing time in the weeks ahead. “It’s the trust between the coaches and the player,” Johnson explained. “It’s a trust between the quarterback and the receiver. It continues to ascend. “He’s been very productive when he’s about to get the ball in his hands, and there’s a strong argument that we need to get it to him more.”