It's official: Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman is a Chicago Bears player. With this comes great expectations. As the do-it-all safety settles into the Windy City, several Bears fans might not be too happy with his odds of winning the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Thieneman's odds to win defensive rookie of the year currently stand at +2000 after the draft, according to CBS Sports. New York Jets rookie David Bailey (+450) is the runaway favorite to win the award. The Texas Tech standout is followed by Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Rueben Bain Jr. (+550) and New York Giants Arvell Reese (+650).
Make no mistake, if Thieneman wants to win this award, he has an uphill battle to climb, especially when it comes to impressing the oddsmakers and voters.
Dillon Thieneman will have a tough road ahead to win DROY
Historically speaking, safeties typically aren't seen as frontrunners for Defensive Rookie of the Year, especially when you factor in recent history. Out of the last five winners, none of them were safeties. The closest to being a safety was New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, who won the award in the 2022 season. The bulk of recent winners have been edge rushers, including All-World talents like the Green Bay Packers' Micah Parsons and the Houston Texans' Will Anderson.
Despite the odds being stacked against him, Thieneman shouldn't overthink his current standing to win this award. No one saw Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger winning the award this season. Now, he's shored up the linebacker position for the Browns for the next few seasons and was hailed as an immediate impact rookie by ESPN. So, anything truly is possible.
One thing Thieneman has going for him is the fact that Dennis Allen, his defensive coordinator, has a history of getting the most out of young defensive backs. Back in 2017, he coached up Marshon Lattimore with the New Orleans Saints and taught him how to play in the NFL.
By season's end, Lattimore was crowned defensive rookie of the year. Is a similar arc in store for Thieneman? Bears nation sure hopes so. Given Thieneman's unique skillset and versatility, it won't be too hard to fit him into the scheme.
If Bears fans are interested in placing a risky bet heading into the new season, Thieneman for Defensive Rookie of the Year just might be their best option.
Read more: Bears fans try (but fail) to forget one of the franchise's biggest draft busts
As we enter the slowest period of the NFL offseason, Bears fans can't wait to see Thieneman prove the doubters wrong.
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