Chicago Bears lineman Joe Thuney has been named a finalist for the inaugural "Protector of the Year" award, a long-overdue accolade to recognize the excellent lineman that grace the NFL.
The NFL has taken many great strides in the last few years to acknowledge the players of the league who aren't the quarterback, and this is another installment. Thuney spoke about the honor, approaching the nomination as he does everything else: with humility and an emphasis on the people around him.
“It’s really cool and very humbling to shine a light on our position. Just to be mentioned alongside the other finalists and the players around the league is an honor.”
Joe Thuney on being named a finalist for the NFL Protector of the Year award: pic.twitter.com/aNvHyqGj5O
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) February 2, 2026
A Line that Learned to Trust
Thuney joined the Bears prior to the 2025 season after winning the Super Bowl four times with the Patriots and then the Chiefs, respectively. His tremendous track record has inspired many memes claiming that Thuney is the key to the Super Bowl and that his arrival in Chicago is the work of the gods. Ryan Poles and the Bears heavily invested in the offensive line in the name of protecting Caleb Williams, and their elite performance this year certainly made it seem like divine intervention.
Thuney himself is a tried-and-proven leader, and an excellent lineman to boot. Nobody who watched a snap of Bears football this year should be surprised that Thuney is up for this award. But the remarkable thing about Thuney is that he's not one to chase an award, like many linemen.
That mindset Thuney spoke of carried over onto the field, where the Bears' offensive line quietly transformed into one of the team's most dependable units. As the season kept moving, so did the recognition.
Built through a reputation rather than rhetoric, the group developed chemistry early. It showed throughout the season, allowing Caleb Williams to be sacked only 24 times, down from 68 the previous season.
Thuney's presence mattered not because he demanded attention, but because he reinforced the standard. The result was an offensive line that could protect, adjust on the fly, and respond as a unit when the team needed it most.
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The Bears were a heart-attack-inducing team in 2025, and through all of the comeback wins, the line was impeccable. This nomination for Thuney is not only deserved, but would be hailed as a collective success for the entire offensive line.