Many Chicago Bears fans were excited to see rookie first-round pick safety Dillon Thieneman make his first NFL start in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, and he certainly made quite an impression.
Many people were surprised when Thieneman was still available with the 25th overall pick in the draft, making the Bears' choice to take him easy. They had lost Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, so new free-agent signing Coby Bryant needed a running mate, and Thieneman was the guy.
Unfortunately, Bryant injured himself and will miss most of the season, if not the whole year, so the pressure is on Thieneman to perform well. Bears fans will feel a little bit better about the secondary despite the bad performance since their top rookie was one of the few bright spots for, the unit.
Bears rookie Dillon Thieneman passes first NFL test with flying colors
This wouldn't have been on many Bears fans' bingo cards, but Thieneman led the Bears in tackles with 10, with eight of them solo. He had one pass deflection in coverage, but he also got used on some blitzes in defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's scheme, recording one pressure and one quarterback hit.
In coverage, Thieneman wasn't too bad at all, allowing just two receptions for 22 yards. He allowed a passer rating of 88.2.
Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 60.2, ranking 41st out of 75 safeties. He also earned a coverage grade of 59.9, ranking 40th among 75 qualified safeties, and a run-defense grade of 61.4, ranking 48th among 75 qualified safeties.
The impressive part was that Thieneman wasn't just getting it done on defense, but on special teams as well. He also made some tackles on special teams coverage, showing his willingness to do whatever the team needs to win the game.
Dillon Thieneman's Role on Bears will only increase from here
Overall, this was an impressive first game for Thieneman, as the Bears beat the Carolina Panthers 59-37 on Sunday. The defense was pretty horrendous, to say the least, after allowing over 400 yards, but Thieneman was one of the very bright spots.
Arguably his best play of the game came in the first quarter, when he played tight coverage on Panthers tight end Mitchell Evans to prevent the completion in the end zone. Those are the plays the Bears were hoping to see from their young rookie.
His ability to put pressure on the quarterback, though, is also a big reason the Bears wanted him on the team. They envision him as the next Kyle Hamilton: a hybrid safety, nickel, and sometimes linebacker.
Despite the chaos in the Bears' secondary, Thieneman handled himself like a pro and looks poised to compete for Defensive Rookie of the Year. This is just the beginning of what looks like a long, great career for Thieneman with the Bears.
Read more: Justin Jefferson could make life a living hell for Bears' secondary in Week 2
Dillon Thieneman Week 1 Grade: B
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