It feels like an honor and a privilege to watch Joe Thuney’s Hall of Fame career include a stop in Chicago with the Bears.
Nothing announces the upcoming NFL season like ESPN’s annual top-10 series. Every year, NFL executives, coaches, and scouts are polled to rank the league’s best players position by position. Not only does this series usher in the return of tangible football talk, but it also offers a glimpse at how folks around the league have stacked up each position group.
Unlike previous years, we have had a bunch of Bears mentioned either in or hovering just outside the top-10 at their position group. To this point, we have discussed where D’Andre Swift ranks among running backs, shared one anonymous NFL exec’s belief that Jaylon Johnson is positioned to return to form as a top-10 cornerback, dissected a list of top edge defenders that saw Montez Sweat generate some buzz in the poll to land just outside the top 10, Colston Loveland’s quick rise to become one of the NFL’s best tight ends, and Darnell Wright’s arrival as the NFL’s highest-rated right tackle.
Next up, one of Wright’s running mates in the trenches joins him as a top-10 player at his position, as left guard Joe Thuney lands a spot among the 10 highest-ranked interior offensive linemen.
Chicago Bears left guard Joe Thuney. David Banks-Imagn ImagesNew ESPN Survey Ranks Joe Thuney Among NFL’s Best Offensive Linemen
To the surprise of no one, Chicago Bears left guard Joe Thuney ranks among the NFL’s elite offensive linemen. Thuney checked in as the NFL’s fifth-best interior offensive lineman, according to polling done by ESPN of coaches, executives, and scouts around the league. This is just the latest honor for Thuney, who has racked ’em up in a big way since arriving in Chicago.
Back in February, colleague Patrick Flowers wrote about Joe Thuney’s first year with the Bears as being transformative and historic — and those words still hold true looking back on what transpired this season. A quick look at Joe Thuney’s accomplishments since joining Chicago’s football team:
Earned first-team All-Pro honors for the third consecutive season. Was named to the Pro Bowl for the fourth straight year. Became the first winner of the NFL’s Protector of the YearAnd this is what ESPN had to say about the all-world guard’s presence on its list of the league’s best interior offensive linemen:
Not many NFL players have aged better than Thuney, who led all guards in pass block win rate last season, his 10th in the league. One team executive said Thuney got the highest grade possible for a veteran guard last season.
Thuney also ranked third among guards in run block win rate (77%) while spearheading the Bears’ revamped interior offensive line.
“He’s losing a little lateral quickness, but he’s so technically sound and tough and sturdy and stronger than you’d think that it doesn’t really matter,” an NFC exec said. “He was awesome last year.”
Added a veteran NFL defensive coach: “He kicked our ass last year.”
How good was Joe Thuney in Year 1 with the Bears? In his age-33 season, Thuney had the NFL’s best pass block win rate and third-best run block win rate among guards. Pro Football Focus graded Thuney highly, too. Thuney’s 77.8 overall grade ranked sixth among guards. His 87.7 pass-blocking grade was the best among his peers, while his 68.6 run-blocking grade was 22nd among the 75 guards who played enough snaps to qualify for the leaderboard. Pretty much every metric available had Thuney grading well last season.
And it’s that wasn’t enough, we’ve got ESPN quoting an anonymous NFL exec calling Thuney “awesome” and one defensive coach saying that the veteran offensive lineman “kicked our ass” despite some signs that he might be losing some lateral quickness.
Bears All-Pro guard Joe Thuney blocks vs. the Rams in a playoff game. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesAlso notable from ESPN’s survey is that Bears right guard Jonah Jackson found a spot in the “also receiving votes” category. It was a pleasant surprise to see Jackson get a mention, as I thought his play was underrated and was unsure if folks outside of the Bears’ sphere would take notice. Getting enough votes here suggests that people are paying attention.
Jonah Jackson’s first year with the Bears saw him post strong grades at Pro Football Focus. Jackson’s overall grade (72.3, 18th/79 Gs), run-blocking grade (72.3, 13th/75), and pass blocking grade (65.8, 27th/77) all ranked in the top half of his position. His ESPN grades were solid,too, especially his 96 percent pass block win rate that had him ranked 12th among NFL interior offensive linemen. And who can forget this epic pancake block from the team’s win against the Cleveland Browns?
No wonder Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson ranked as the second-best guard tandem in football. It was an absolute masterclass by Bears GM Ryan Poles to get Thuney for a fourth-round pick and Jackson for a sixth-rounder.
ESPN’s rollout of its position-by-position top 10 continues on Monday. Will we see Bears quarterback Caleb Williams make the cut? At this point, the only position group in which the Bears haven’t had a top player mentioned is along the interior defensive line. It wasn’t surprising to see that no Bears defensive tackles made the top 10. However, I still think this defensive line can be a pleasant surprise if things bounce their way.
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