Sports

Bears rookie Dillon Thieneman opens up on struggles in training camp

Nairavoice · Aug 12, 2026 · 1 min read

The transition from college to the NFL can be difficult for some rookies, especially when they are thrown into the fire like Chicago Bears safety Dillon Thieneman has been.

Thieneman was expected to be a starting safety for the Bears, but is now one of the only healthy safeties on the roster. Training camp has been brutal for the Bears so far with numerous players, particularly on defense, missing time with injuries including safety Coby Bryant, who will miss four to six months after having knee surgery.

Thieneman has been getting a majority of first-team reps throughout training camp so far, and although he is focused on improving each day, it does feel like a lot at times.

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“Yeah, at times it definitely does, but I just try to break it down, stay ahead of time right now during camp,” Thieneman said. “Like you can’t win any games at the moment. So right now, I’m just working on getting better.”

Chicago will have the opportunity to win a game when the preseason starts on Saturday when Chicago hosts the Cleveland Browns. Thieneman will surely be among the players to get some action in this game and throughout the preseason to help him be ready for the start of the regular season.

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