The Player: Joe Thuney was drafted in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He has started 21 playoff games and been on four Super Bowl-winning teams, missing only two games in a ten-year career. He was acquired by the Bears in trade for a 2026 fourth-round pick.
The Case For Him: He’s Joe Thuney? He leads the NFC in Pass Block Win Rate for interior offensive linemen and is second only to former teammate Creed Humphrey in the entire league. He’s also 6th in Run Block Win Rate.
He’s part of an offensive line that is essentially top 3 in all major rushing categories (rushing yards per game, rush yards per attempt, EPA per rush attempt, and so on). Pro Football Focus has him not allowing a single sack on the year.
The Case Against Him: His excellence is boring? After three straight Pro Bowl appearances, it’s only fair to give someone else a shot? Really, it’s very hard to build a case against Thuney that isn’t grasping at straws. He has committed two false starts in the same season for the first time in four years. By his standards, that’s unexpected.
Rebuttal: Along with Quenton Nelson (who plays in a different conference), Thuney is as close to the archetype for a guard as it gets in the real world.
Vote for Thuney here, and while you’re there check out the other Bears who lead in their position groups (voting rank per Tom Pelissero in parenthesis):
Defensive Line: Defensive End-Montez Sweat (#8)
Defensive Back: Free Safety-Kevin Byard (#1), Cornerback-Nahshon Wright (#2), Strong Safety-Jaquan Brisker (#9)
Offensive Line: Guard-Joe Thuney (#1), Center-Drew Dalman (#2), Tackle-Darnell Wright (#4), and Guard-Jonah Jackson (#7)
Skills Players: Quarterback-Caleb Williams (#7), Tight End-Colston Loveland (#8), Wide Receiver-Rome Odunze (#10), Running Back-D’Andre Swift (#10)
Special Teams Players: Special Team Player-Josh Blackwell (#3), Long Snapper-Scott Daly (#3), Returner-Devin Duvernay (#4), Punter-Tory Taylor (#8)
