Wolfpack Legend Adds Championship Pedigree to Chicago Bears

Thuney to the Bears

Thuney instantly becomes one of the Bears' most experienced players. He was traded to the Bears in March, coming off a Super Bowl loss with the Chiefs a month prior. His personal and team accolades are impressive: six Super Bowl starts, four Super Bowl wins, two AP First-Team All-Pro selections, two AP Second-Team All-Pro selections and three straight Pro Bowl selections the past three years. 

Coming from successful franchises like the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, it's interesting to see how Thuney could impact the culture within a rising team in the NFL. Thuney is used to entering teams with set cultures, but now he's a part of building one up. He signed a two-year extension with the team in May, signaling he enjoyed that task. 

"It's been great," Thuney said after signing his extension. "Everyone seems just to be really intent, intense, and focused. It's something I want to be a part of. It's just guys working for each other and everyone trying to improve bit by bit and it's a process, it's early. I think guys like working here." 

Working with Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson 

Now locked up, the former All-American for the Wolfpack can look forward to working with first-time head coach Ben Johnson, along with Williams. Johnson was a hot candidate within the head coach market this past offseason due to his success with the Detroit Lions. 

Johnson may have influenced the decision for the Bears this past offseason in acquiring talent like Thuney, Jackson and Dalman. The Lions' offensive line may be one of the best in the league, but it remains to be seen if the Bears' upgrades will be worth it. However, on paper and following offseason hype, it should be better at the very minimum than a season ago. 

Johnson can only call the plays; it's still up to his team to execute his vision on the field. Early reports in Bears camp indicated that the culture had quickly changed in Chicago, but it all still fell onto the shoulders of Williams to make the second-year jump. Thuney will certainly help protect Williams and make sure it happens. 

"He works really hard," Thuney said of Caleb Williams. "You can tell how much he cares about this sport. He's always in here, whenever I come in, I see him and he's been doing great. So far, so good." 

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