The Chicago Bears got deals done with perhaps their two most important draft picks heading into the weekend.
First-round pick Dillon Thieneman, a safety out of Oregon, and second-round selection Logan Jones, a center from the University of Iowa, each put pen to paper on their rookie contracts Friday, June 5.
“The Bears now have their top two players from the draft class — Dillon Thieneman and Logan Jones — under contract,” Dan Wiederer of The Athletic reported via X. “Box checked. Done and done.”
Dillon Thieneman Key Piece in Bears’ Secondary Overhaul
GettyChicago Bears safety Dillon Thieneman.
Thieneman is essentially guaranteed to start alongside Coby Bryant, a Super Bowl champion with the Seattle Seahawks last season who was among Chicago’s biggest free-agent pickups of the offseason via a three-year contract worth $40 million total.
Bryant and Thieneman replace departed All-Pro Kevin Byard III and longtime starter Jaquan Brisker, who each left the Bears in free agency this spring.
Fourth-round draft pick Malik Muhammad, a cornerback out of Texas, could also eventually bust his way into the starting lineup as a rookie alongside the team’s two new safeties and two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
Muhammad has starting NFL chops, even as a rookie, and will challenge sometimes embattled CB Tyrique Stevenson for the second outside spot in Dennis Allen’s defense.
“A multiyear starter and still just 21 years old, Muhammad has the profile of someone who gets drafted on Day 2,” Ben Solak of ESPN wrote in early May. “Finding a depth cornerback to replace the outgoing Nahshon Wright was critical, as Stevenson’s volatile play alongside Jaylon Johnson’s injury history all but guarantees the No. 3 corner will see time in Chicago.”
Logan Jones Could Start as Rookie in Chicago
GettyChicago Bears center Logan Jones.
Jones, like Muhammad, will battle an established veteran for a starting spot in the Bears’ lineup.
Chicago lost Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman to an unexpected retirement earlier this offseason, which left the team scrambling for answers in the middle of the offensive line. The Bears landed on a trade with the New England Patriots, swapping a fifth-round pick in 2027 for Garrett Bradbury.
Bradbury, who will play the upcoming campaign at 31 years old, was a first-round selection of the Minnesota Vikings in 2019. However, he never quite lived up to his draft position. He has started all 105 games in which he’s played over his seven-year professional career, but Bradbury finished ranked 30th out of 40 centers who saw enough snaps to qualify in 2025, per Pro Football Focus.
Jones is clearly the center of the future in Chicago, as Bradbury is in-house on a one-year deal worth less than $5 million in 2026. However, whether Jones can wrestle the starting spot away from Bradbury during training camp or as the regular season progresses remains to be seen.
“An ideal scenario would be for Jones to serve as Bradbury’s understudy for a year before taking over in 2027, when he’ll be 25 years old,” Courtney Cronin of ESPN wrote last month. “Despite being on the older end for a rookie, Jones’ age doesn’t concern the Bears.”
Bears Officially Sign 2 Likely Starters to Rookie Contracts: Report