As needed anyway, and as could've been expected given head coach Ben Johnson's history with the Detroit Lions, the Chicago Bears wasted no time overhauling the interior of their offensive line last offseason.
In a matter of days, trades for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson came along with the signing of center Drew Dalman in free agency.
All three gentlemen finished the regular season with a top-20 overall Pro Football Focus grade at their position, with Thuney (the No.5 guard) and Dalman (the No. 6 center) in the top-10 at their position. Jackson, playing a position he basically had not played in his NFL career before the season started, settled in nicely at right guard.
Compared to his fellow new Bears' interior lineman, Thuney's resume stood out. He had not been outside the top-10 guards by overall PFF grade since 2017, his second season in the NFL, and he brought four Super Bowl rings with him from his time with the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.
In his last two seasons with the Chiefs, at age 31 and 32, he earned the first two First Team All-Pro nods of his career. He brought a rare combination of excellence and playoff experience to Chicago, and the Bears needed a dose of both as Johnson looked to lead a turnaround.
Joe Thuney draws a worthy accolade from Pro Football Focus
On Pro Football Focus' All-Pro Team for 2025, Thuney was the First Team left guard.
"The leader among guards in PFF pass-blocking grade, Thuney did not allow a sack on 686 pass-blocking snaps this season. His run-blocking grade ranked 19th at the position, but his strength as a pass protector is what earned him a first-team spot here."
Thuney's 88.6 pass blocking grade was more than four points better than the next-best guard. While his 71.0 run blocking grade paled in comparison, the list of guards with 70-plus marks in both areas is not long.
Bears' right tackle Darnell Wright had an excellent season himself, with just three sacks allowed on 638 pass blocking snaps. He had the 13th-best overall grade among offensive tackles (81.9) during the regular season, and the seventh-best run blocking grade at the position (85.6).
If not for Penei Sewell of the division rival Detroit Lions, who literally led all offensive linemen in overall (95.2) and run blocking grade (96.8) from PFF, Wright wouldn't have had to settle for the Second Team nod at right tackle on the site's All-Pro team.
In turn, Wright has shed the underachiever label that had trailed him over his first two seasons after being taken 10th overall in the 2023 draft.
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But it ultimately comes down to Thuney, who was acquired as the battle-tested anchor of the Bears' refurbished offensive line. To say he has delivered on that expectation this season is a massive understatement.