Let’s be honest. The Chicago Bears didn’t exactly light the world on fire in 2025. Making the playoffs was nice, sure, but for a team with head coach Ben Johnson’s ambitions, it was a starting point, not a finish line. The bar is higher for 2026. And if the Bears are going to make a real run, it starts with keeping Caleb Williams upright.
Fortunately for Chicago, they might have the league’s most ageless guard making that job a whole lot easier.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler dropped his annual list of the top 10 interior offensive linemen this week, and Bears guard Joe Thuney checked in at No. 5. That’s a one-spot jump from last year’s No. 6 ranking, which is pretty remarkable for a 33-year-old guard entering his 11th NFL season. Voters were a panel of executives, scouts, and coaches polled by ESPN.
Thuney is the kind of player who makes you rethink how you measure aging in the NFL. He doesn’t have the same lateral quickness he did five years ago. One NFC executive told Fowler that flat out. But here’s the thing: it barely matters.
“He’s losing a little lateral quickness, but he’s so technically sound and tough and sturdy and stronger than you’d think that it doesn’t really matter,” the exec said. “He was awesome last year.”
Fowler noted that Thuney led all guards in pass block win rate last season. That’s not just a nice stat. That’s a statement. One team executive reportedly gave Thuney the highest possible grade for a veteran guard last season. That kind of praise doesn’t come easy.
The Bears landed Thuney in a trade with the Chiefs back in 2025, sending only a fourth-round pick to Kansas City. He came with a hefty contract, sure. But when you’re getting this level of play, that pick looks like a steal. The Bears essentially bought a top-five guard for a Day 3 draft pick at the price of a cap hit they clearly think is worth it.
Williams is entering a pivotal season. Year three for a quarterback is often where things click or they don’t. Having Thuney on the interior, especially with his track record of winning in the playoffs (four Super Bowl rings will do that for a resume), is the kind of safety net most young QBs don’t get.
So yeah, Thuney is 33. But if his 2025 season is any indication, Father Time is going to have to wait a little longer. The Bears are betting their whole 2026 season on it.
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