The Chicago Bears made it a point this offseason to overhaul the interior of the offensive line going into the 2025 season.
The front office and new coaching staff succeeded in that goal by bringing in three new, experienced, starters on the interior in Jonah Jackson, Joe Thuney, and Drew Dalman.
Of those three additions, Thuney was easily the most surprising yet most signifiant addition for a multitude of reasons.
Thuney was a key member of the two most dominant dynasties in recent memory, winning four Super Bowl titles across nine seasons with the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Having a guy like that in your building is huge, not just on the field but in the locker room as well. Thuney has a legitimate shot to be a team captain in his first year in Chicago but his future beyond 2025 is still uncertain.
When the Bears traded for Thuney, he had one year remaining on his current contract with nothing set in stone beyond the 2025 season, although both sides would ideally like to get something agreed upon sooner than later.
"I’m grateful to be here and I’m pumped to play," Thuney said. "I’ll let the business side of it handle itself. Excited to get on the field with the guys in OTAs and I’m excited to start working. Just looking forward to it."
Even if the Bears get a few more years tacked onto Thuney's contract, the team still needs to eventually find a long-term successor at left guard. Thuney is already 32-years-old and having that replacement in sooner than later would be ideal by having depth at the position and a young player to learn behind Thuney in the building.
It seems like that's something the Bears have in mind based on their recent upcoming Top-30 visit ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
According to NFL Draft expert Ryan Fowler, the Bears are hosting Georgia interior offensive lineman Dylan Fairchild on a Top-30 visit on Wednesday.
Fairchild started 23 games at left guard for the Bulldogs offense over the last two seasons and would be the ideal left tackle to sit behind Thuney in Ben Johnson's offense.
Based on his college production, Fairchild excels at getting to the second and even third level as a blocker, which is key in Johnson's offense which depends on gaining extra yardage by having willing blockers all over the field.
Beyond that, he's a stout pass protector. In the last two seasons, Fairchild has only allowed one sack and 14 total pressures while playing 837 pass blocking snaps across those two seasons.
Right now, Fairchild is the 135th ranked prospect based on our A to Z Sports mock draft database. He's been mocked as high as 65 and as low as 144 with a median ADP at 78.0. The Bears hold the 72nd overall pick in the third round, which would be the ideal draft slot to potentially draft him later this month.
We'll see what the Bears do, but this upcoming visit could go a long way toward creating some mutual interest between the two sides.
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