When the Chicago Bears signed veteran safety Coby Bryant during the initial free agency frenzy, fans of course all wondered the same thing: who would they get to be his running mate?
Not a single Bears fan would have expected the team to see Dillon Thieneman fall to pick 25 in the draft, but when it happened, the Bears knew they had their duo.
Fast forward several weeks and, after some OTA practices, Bryant spoke on his latest impressions of his fellow starting safety:
"The speed. He's very coachable. He's exciting to watch. He makes plays every day out there. He's had a great spring."
For Bears fans who have watched Thieneman's college tape and highlights, this fits the bill. Thieneman was one of the most speedy, athletic all-around defensive backs in his class. It shows up on tape, and so far, it's shown up in Bryant's eyes.
Coby Bryant has Dillon Thieneman thinking about the long haul
Bryant also offered up a pretty funny nugget that had the Bears media laughing, although he did say it with a pretty straight face, for the most part:
“Me being a year 5 guy and he’s a rookie so he wants to go full speed and everything so in the individual drills we have to tell him to slow down because I’m not running that fast.”
You could tell Bryant was being serious with his comment, at first, but after the media started laughing, he found it funny.
And, to be frank, it is pretty funny. But it certainly sums up an eager player who simply loves football. Thieneman has struck fans and media as a player who is raring to go from the jump, and, after hearing Bryant's words, he might just be a guy his teammates will need to slow down.
The college season is far less of a grind than the NFL season, of course, so he is going to need to learn to take care of his body and pace himself. This conversation also comes at a time when Kyler Gordon's health has been in question.
The last thing the Bears need is for an over-zealous Thieneman to push himself too hard, this early on, and wind up doing his body a disservice for the long haul.
Speaking of the long haul, both Bryant and Thieneman look like a duo the Bears could have around for a while. Bryant mentioned the age difference with him being 27 and Thieneman only being 21 years old, but if Bryant is able to do right by his body and stay healthy, he's got a strong three to four years left being a top-tier safety, at least.
Read more: Ben Johnson gave a telling health update on Bears WR Rome Odunze
The hope for Thieneman is that he becomes a defensive cornerstone whom the Bears can't afford to let loose in future free agencies. To do that, though, he'll have to cement himself within the likes of Kyle Hamilton or Xavier McKinney, for example.
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