The Chicago Bears desperately needed to bolster their offensive line this season. Caleb Williams was the most-sacked quarterback in the league during his rookie year (68), and that wasn't ever going to be sustainable over time.
That's why GM Ryan Poles pulled some strings to get him one of the best interior offensive linemen in the league. Now, four weeks into the Joe Thuney era, it's become more than evident that the general manager struck gold.
Joe Thuney Has Been The Bears' Best Offseason Addition
Through four weeks, the former Kansas City Chiefs star has only given up one QB hit, four pressures, and he hasn't given up a single sack or drawn a penalty, as shown by Bears fan account 'Just Another Year' on X.
Thuney was still owed $16 million of the five-year contract extension he signed with the Chiefs, and they couldn't afford to keep him around in the long run. Poles had already traded for Jonah Jackson, and he doubled down by adding the All-Pro.
He knew that was a point of emphasis, and they needed to protect Williams and establish the running game to enjoy some success on offense. It wasn't enough with just hiring an offensive-minded head coach like Ben Johnson, and his head coach agreed:
"I think offensive line is certainly an area that we need to get better play from going forward, something that [general manager] Ryan [Poles] and I have already talked about," Johnson said in January, per ESPN. "We will develop a plan of attack for how to get that done, but I'm looking forward to getting an excellent offensive line coach in the building to help develop the young talent that we already have on the roster, and we will certainly talk about acquiring talent to bolster that unit as well. But I was certainly blessed the last few years with the men that I worked with. And that was something I would love to replicate here as well."
Thuney arrived in the Windy City with plenty of postseason experience. He was also a testament to durability, missing just two games in nine seasons in the league. Also, his versatility was a major perk of getting him, as he could also play at left tackle if needed.
Winning teams are built on the trenches, and as much backlash as Poles has faced for some of his moves, he definitely deserves plenty of credit for this one.