{"id":5189,"date":"2026-07-13T17:15:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T12:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=5189"},"modified":"2026-07-13T17:15:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T12:15:44","slug":"bears-lg-joe-thuney-dubbed-among-best-interior-offensive-linemen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=5189","title":{"rendered":"Bears LG Joe Thuney dubbed among best interior offensive linemen"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p>July 13, 2026, 7:02 a.m. CT<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The <a href=\"\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Chicago Bears<\/a> got an absolute steal in All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney, who was acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs last offseason for a 2026 fourth-round pick. Thuney was arguable the best player on the roster last season, and he was key to the offense&#8217;s turnaround.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Thuney helped anchor one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, leading the way for the league&#8217;s third-best rushing attack and allowing the second-fewest sacks in the NFL. He played a key role in the <a data-autotag=\"69c69e75-f807-4542-90d2-619e6d4a23b1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/football\/nfl\/teams\/chicago-bears\/326\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Bears<\/a> going 11-6, winning the NFC North and beating the\u00a0Green Bay Packers\u00a0in the wild-card playoffs. Thuney was named First-Team All-Pro and earned a Pro Bowl nod for his impressive outing in 2025. He also won the NFL&#8217;s inaugural &#8220;Protector of the Year&#8221; award.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Thuney still is one of the best offensive linemen in the league, so it&#8217;s not a surprise to see him ranked among <a href=\"https:\/\/go.skimresources.com\/?id=83224X1595658&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fnfl%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F49285849%2Franking-nfl-top-10-guards-centers-interior-offensive-linemen-2026-execs-coaches-scouts&amp;xcust=SC1-SBRS&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fbearswire.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fbears%2F2026%2F07%2F13%2Fbears-joe-thuney-rank-best-interior-offensive-linemen%2F90892919007%2F\" data-v-afl=\"\" data-t-l=\"\u2691f:b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">ESPN&#8217;s top 10 interior offensive linemen<\/a> in the NFL, as voted upon by NFL coaches and executives. Thuney landed at No. 5 on the list.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_gl gnt_em__el\" href=\"http:\/\/bearswire.usatoday.com\/picture-gallery\/sports\/nfl\/bears\/2026\/06\/09\/chicago-bears-minicamp-2026\/90478678007\/\" data-t-l=\"\u2691g:l|l|c|view gallery:inline promo\" aria-label=\"View Gallery - Chicago Bears mandatory minicamp 2026 photos\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"gnt_em_gl_i\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/bearswire.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/06\/09\/SBRS\/90478796007-29159120.jpg?crop=3999,2250,x0,y208&amp;width=660&amp;height=372&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" data-gl-srcset=\"https:\/\/bearswire.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/06\/09\/SBRS\/90478796007-29159120.jpg?crop=3999,https:\/\/bearswire.usatoday.com\/2250,https:\/\/bearswire.usatoday.com\/x0,https:\/\/bearswire.usatoday.com\/y208&amp;width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"372\"\/><svg class=\"gnt_em_gl_i_svg\"><use xlink:href=\"#gnt_svg_camera\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Here&#8217;s what NFL coaches and executives had to say about Thuney:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"gnt_ar_b_bq\">\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;He&#8217;s losing a little lateral quickness, but he&#8217;s so technically sound and tough and sturdy and stronger than you&#8217;d think that it doesn&#8217;t really matter,&#8221; an NFC exec said. &#8220;He was awesome last year.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Added a veteran NFL defensive coach: &#8220;He kicked our ass last year.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<aside class=\"gnt_ar_b_sp\">Need a news break? <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":body nav (play)|e|auto spike click:6|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_sp_a\" href=\"https:\/\/play.usatoday.com\/?itm_source=SPIKE&amp;itm_campaign=PLAYSPIKE&amp;itm_medium=ONSITE\">Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!<\/a><\/aside>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The four interior linemen who ranked higher than Thuney, 1-4: Dallas&#8217; Tyler Smith, Indianapolis&#8217; Quenton Nelson, Kansas City&#8217;s Creed Humphrey and Denver&#8217;s Quinn Meinerz. The highest ranking that Thuney received among coaches and executives was No. 1. Last year, Thuney landed at No. 6 on this list.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Right guard Jonah Jackson, who was also part of Chicago&#8217;s overhaul of the interior offensive line last offseason, didn&#8217;t make the top 10 or honorable mentions, but he did receive votes for this list.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_cp gnt_em_cp__sp\" aria-label=\"Bears offseason news brought to you by Square\" data-c-cta=\"DIG DEEPER\">\n<div class=\"gnt_em_cp_cw\"><img class=\"gnt_em_cp_cw_i\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/bearswire.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/09\/26\/STDN\/86373428007-square-1.jpg?crop=1999,1499,x50,y0&amp;width=258&amp;height=193&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" data-gl-srcset=\"https:\/\/bearswire.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/09\/26\/STDN\/86373428007-square-1.jpg?crop=1999,https:\/\/bearswire.usatoday.com\/1499,https:\/\/bearswire.usatoday.com\/x50,https:\/\/bearswire.usatoday.com\/y0&amp;width=516&amp;height=386&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\"\/><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Follow Bears Wire on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TheBearsWire\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheBearsWire\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Facebook<\/a><\/em>\u00a0<em>and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bearswireusat\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Instagram<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>July 13, 2026, 7:02 a.m. CT The Chicago Bears got an absolute steal in All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney, who was acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs last offseason for a 2026 fourth-round pick. Thuney was arguable the best player on the roster last season, and he was key to the offense&#8217;s turnaround. Thuney helped&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/bearswire.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/12\/15\/SBRS\/87768734007-27816406.jpg?crop=4809,2706,x0,y270&width=3200&height=1801&format=pjpg&auto=webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5189\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}