To help pass the time before training camp, it's ranking season for NFL outlets. ESPN is doing its annual position-by-position top-10 rankings based on surveying people around the league, and the Chicago Bears have been well represented.
On the offensive line front, Bears guard Joe Thuney came in at No.5 in ESPN's ranking of interior offensive linemen. Darnell Wright came in at No. 6 among offensive tackles, usurping Lane Johnson as the highest-ranked right tackle.
As the anchors of the Bears' offensive line and the primary driving forces for the unit quickly becoming one of the best in the league last season, Thuney and Wright earned that kind of acknowledgement.
However, Thuney was the fourth-highest-rated guard in the ESPN interior lineman ranking, and it's hard to make a legit case that there are three guards better than him. He may have been demerited somewhat by those who were surveyed, however flimsily, based on his age.
Competing offensive linemen ranking makes things right for Joe Thuney
SI.com writers Eva Geitheim, Mike Kadlick and Karl Rasmussen have collaborated to rank the top-10 offensive lineman in the NFL, encompassing all positions. The Bears are one of two teams to have two lineman make the list.
Wright came in at No. 10, with Kadlick offering the reasoning.
"Selected with the No. 10 pick in the 2023 draft, Wright has started 49 games across his first three seasons with the Bears, earning PFWA All-Rookie Team honors in Year 1 before being named a second-team All-Pro in 2025."
"Wright’s leap forward last season helped the Bears average 144.5 rushing yards per game—the third-most in the NFL behind only the Bills and Ravens—and saw him notch the sixth-highest run-block grade (85.6) among 89 qualifying tackles according to PFF. He also anchored an offensive line that allowed quarterback Caleb Williams to be sacked just 24 times, the third-fewest among quarterbacks who started all 17 games."
It was fair to assume Thuney would also make the list, the question was where.
The reigning NFL Protector of the Year came in at No. 1, with Geitheim offering the case.
"The most accomplished offensive lineman in the NFL, Joe Thuney earned first-team All-Pro honors for the third consecutive season in 2025 while making his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl."
"A third-round pick by the Patriots in 2016, Thuney spent five seasons in New England before leaving for four seasons with the Chiefs. Along the way, Thuney won four Super Bowl titles as he blocked for two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. Most recently, he joined the Bears in 2025 and helped them return to the playoffs for the first time in five years."
"In Chicago, Thuney was a pivotal part of the Bears’ improvement offensively and along the offensive line. He finished second in pass-block win rate and third in run-block win rate while blocking for an offense that finished third in rushing yards and fourth in EPA per rush (plus-.06). As a result, Thuney was named the NFL’s inaugural Protector of the Year award winner, a fitting honor for such a successful player."
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Since he's "only" a guard, it might feel aggressive for Thuney to be called the best offensive lineman in the NFL. But combine his resume with elite-level play that shows no signs of stopping, and he can (at least) comfortably enter that conversation.
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