"But with all due respect to those players, no one did what Thuney did for the Bears. In addition to playing on all of the Chicago Bears' offensive snaps as their left guard while protecting quarterback Caleb Williams and clearing holes for running backs like Kyle Monangai and D'Andre Swift, Thuney was a lead-by-example type who aided in setting the tone in the trenches and changing the culture at Halas Hall."
""It's just incredible," Thuney said, via the Bears' official website. "I'm very humbled to even be mentioned amongst guys that are on the ballot, and people that are voting. So, very humbling and such an honor. I'm very thankful, but I'm not a one-man operation. There are so many people behind the scenes - parents, family, friends, teammates, coaches, everyone in the building. So it's just a big operation, and I'm very thankful.""
Joe Thuney received the inaugural NFL Protector of the Year award after a standout 2025-26 campaign. He played every offensive snap for the Chicago Bears at left guard, protecting quarterback Caleb Williams and creating running lanes for Kyle Monangai and D'Andre Swift. Thuney led by example, helped set the tone in the trenches, and contributed to a culture change at Halas Hall. He earned his fourth Pro Bowl selection and was named first-team All-Pro for the third consecutive season. Other finalists included Garrett Bolles, Aaron Brewer, Creed Humphrey, Quinn Meinerz, and Penei Sewell.
Read at Bleacher Nation
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