Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen spoke to the media for the first time this offseason at rookie minicamp on Saturday and shared what excites him about safeties Dillon Thieneman and Coby Bryant .
The Chicago Bears were ecstatic to land Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman in the first-round of the 2026 NFL Draft as a player that can come in and immediate impact the defense as a high-level starter.
Since being drafted, we've heard from general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson rave about Thieneman's athletic ability and high football character that made it an easy decision to add him to the building.
Thieneman finally took to the field this past weekend at rookie minicamp and we also finally got the opportunity to hear from defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and the thoughts he had about adding the new weapon to his secondary.
"Obviously, you can see his athleticism on tape. But, I just think the biggest thing was he found his way around the ball a lot," Allen said of Thieneman. "To be able to do that, there has to be some intelligence about him and there has to be some instincts about him."
Speaking with reporters on Friday after practice, Thieneman went in-depth about his open field tackling ability, background, and learning the details of this new system.
"They want me to know both positions, and kind of just know all of the DB positions" Thieneman explained. "As of right now, I'm playing strong safety, still understanding what the free safety is doing."
It's clear the Bears are going to have big plans for this guy as a starter and will be asking a lot out of him if they want him to learn all of the defensive back positions. And it points to the change the secondary will have this time around in Allen's system.
With Thieneman and free agent signee Coby Bryant, the Bears completely revamped the safety position this offseason after moving on from Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker . When it comes to the difference this new safety duo will have in Chicago, Allen confirmed what many already expected.
"I think their versatility, both of them I'm excited about," Allen said when asked what excites him about Thieneman and Bryant. "Both of them have the athletic ability to match up in coverage and I think that's something I'm excited about it."
Simply put, Allen will be deploying both safeties interchangeably. Doing so asks a lot out of the player and it's not something the Bears were able to pull off last season . But, Thieneman and Bryant are both athletic and intelligent enough to be able to do just that.
The benefit of playing either safety at either spot is that Allen can disguise the roles and coverages in the secondary, making it harder for the quarterback to analyze what look he's going to get before and after the snap. Both safeties are also downhill players and reliable open-field tacklers in the run game.
Getting on the same page together will be key. Bryant, obviously, wasn't out there on the field this weekend, but he will be out there beside Thieneman later this month during OTAs to start building that on-field bond.
"First is just getting to know him, personally and what he's like off the field. Building that connection and relationship there. And then once you get on the field, start making calls and asking questions and we'll get on the same page," Thieneman said of Bryant. "Once you get to a certain level, you almost don't have to talk because you're thinking about the same thing."
Together, Thieneman and Bryant will form an exciting duo at the safety position and both players are expected to be around the ball consistently while playing under a scheme that fits their strengths as players.
