The Chicago Bears concluded their 2025 season, where they finished with an 11-6 record, an NFC North title and their first playoff win in 15 years under first-year head coach Ben Johnson. And there’s no denying that the future is incredibly bright.
Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be counting down our 15 Most Impactful Bears from the 2025 season, which features plenty of young talent that made huge contributions in Chicago’s magical season. We’ll recap their 2025 season and look ahead to how they factor into 2026. There were plenty of top talent to highlight this season, which made for difficult decisions when narrowing the field to just 15 players and/or coaches.
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We continue at No. 3 with All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney, who was easily the best addition (outside of Ben Johnson) to the Bears last season.
The Basics
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2025 cap hit: $8 million
Most Impactful Bears of 2025: Joe Thuney
2025 stats
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0 sacks, 1 hit, 15 pressures, 2 penalties
2025 recap
The Bears acquired Thuney in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for a fourth-round pick last offseason, and he was part of a complete overhaul on the interior offensive line along with center Drew Dalman and right guard Jonah Jackson. Thuney proved to be worth the draft capital and contract extension he received from Chicago. Thuney helped anchor one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, which allowed just 25 sacks on Caleb Williams, and played a huge role in the Bears going 11-6, winning the NFC North and beating the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card playoffs. In 17 games, Thuney allowed zero sacks, one hit and 15 pressures and was only penalized twice. He played 1,149 offensive snaps, the second-most of any guard in the league, per Pro Football Focus. Thuney was named First-Team All-Pro, earned a Pro Bowl nod and was named the NFL’s inaugural Protector of the Year award winner.
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2026 outlook
Thuney is coming off another All-Pro season where he was the anchor of the Bears’ offensive line, and he’ll once again serve as the key cog in the trenches protecting Williams. While his cap hit will increase to $21.5 million over the next two years, he’s worth every penny given the stability and flexibility he brings to the offensive line. While left tackle is the one gaping hole along the offensive line, Thuney will not be in contention to kick outside to tackle after doing so in the divisional playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams. While Thuney isn’t the long-term answer at left guard, he’s the perfect player to hold down the fort in the trenches with Chicago’s Super Bowl window opened.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Most Impactful Bears of 2025: No. 3 Joe Thuney
