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The NFL debuted the Protector of the Year award for the first time last season, an award that recognizes the league's best offensive lineman.
An elite selection committee of NFL Legends was assembled to determine the NFL's best O-lineman for the 2025 season: two-time Pro Bowler and position-specific training expert LeCharles Bentley, six-time All-Pro Jason Kelce, three-time Pro Bowler Shaun O'Hara, Super Bowl LVI champion Andrew Whitworth and Pro Football Hall of Famers Orlando Pace and Will Shields.
The committee selected Bears guard Joe Thuney as the Protector of the Year at NFL Honors. The 33-year-old veteran was named a first-team All-Pro and selected to the Pro Bowl last year. He allowed zero sacks, one quarterback hit and finished with the second-most offensive snaps played among guards. His run block win rate (77%) ranked third in his position group.
Thuney is one of the NFL's elite offensive lineman. He isn't the best, though.
According to ESPN's interior offensive linemen rankings, Thuney finished fifth out of 10. To determine the order, ESPN polled NFL coaches, scouts and league executives, then "compiled the results and ranked candidates based on the number of top-10 votes, composite average and dozens of interviews, with research and film study help from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen as well as ESPN Research."
Dallas Cowboys guard Tyler Smith, Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson, Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey and Denver Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz finished ahead of Thuney.
Those players all deserve recognition as some of the top players on the interior offensive line, but are they actually better than Thuney? That's up for debate, but ESPN's Jeremy Fowler did provide some insight on Thuney's rankings.
Thuney, 33, is the oldest player ranked in the top 10, and his age did factor in the voting process.
Although Thuney's ranking may not sit well within the Bears' fanbase, it still indicates the veteran's elite status around the NFL. What really matters is how Johnson values the Bears' left guard.
Thuney brought stability while protecting Caleb Williams' blindside and was a huge asset in the run game. With veteran Garrett Bradbury likely the starting center this year, Thuney will help his new teammate acclimate to Chicago. It does help that the two were college teammates at N.C. State.
Thuney is the second Bears' offensive lineman ranked in ESPN's positional rankings. Darnell Wright was voted as the sixth-highest offensive tackle in the league. Right guard Jonah Jackson also received some votes from NFL evaluators.
Continue reading...
An elite selection committee of NFL Legends was assembled to determine the NFL's best O-lineman for the 2025 season: two-time Pro Bowler and position-specific training expert LeCharles Bentley, six-time All-Pro Jason Kelce, three-time Pro Bowler Shaun O'Hara, Super Bowl LVI champion Andrew Whitworth and Pro Football Hall of Famers Orlando Pace and Will Shields.
The committee selected Bears guard Joe Thuney as the Protector of the Year at NFL Honors. The 33-year-old veteran was named a first-team All-Pro and selected to the Pro Bowl last year. He allowed zero sacks, one quarterback hit and finished with the second-most offensive snaps played among guards. His run block win rate (77%) ranked third in his position group.
Thuney is one of the NFL's elite offensive lineman. He isn't the best, though.
According to ESPN's interior offensive linemen rankings, Thuney finished fifth out of 10. To determine the order, ESPN polled NFL coaches, scouts and league executives, then "compiled the results and ranked candidates based on the number of top-10 votes, composite average and dozens of interviews, with research and film study help from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen as well as ESPN Research."
Dallas Cowboys guard Tyler Smith, Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson, Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey and Denver Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz finished ahead of Thuney.
Those players all deserve recognition as some of the top players on the interior offensive line, but are they actually better than Thuney? That's up for debate, but ESPN's Jeremy Fowler did provide some insight on Thuney's rankings.
Thuney, 33, is the oldest player ranked in the top 10, and his age did factor in the voting process.
Although Thuney's ranking may not sit well within the Bears' fanbase, it still indicates the veteran's elite status around the NFL. What really matters is how Johnson values the Bears' left guard.
Thuney brought stability while protecting Caleb Williams' blindside and was a huge asset in the run game. With veteran Garrett Bradbury likely the starting center this year, Thuney will help his new teammate acclimate to Chicago. It does help that the two were college teammates at N.C. State.
Thuney is the second Bears' offensive lineman ranked in ESPN's positional rankings. Darnell Wright was voted as the sixth-highest offensive tackle in the league. Right guard Jonah Jackson also received some votes from NFL evaluators.
Continue reading...
