NFL players finally make things right with Bears All-Pro Joe Thuney after years of being overlooked by his peers
Chicago Bears All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney has finally be recognized on the NFL’s Top 1oo Players list for the first time in his career, and honor voted on by his peers that he deserved for years.
Chicago Bears left guard Joe Thuney has long been one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL and will be a surefire Pro Football Hall of Fame selection when it’s all said and done.
Thuney has a growing list of accomplishments throughout his 10 years with the NFL playing for the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, and now going into his second season in Chicago. He’s a four-time Super Bowl Champion, three-time first-team All-Pro, four-time Pro Bowler, and the reigning first-ever AP Protector of the Year.
The one accomplishment Thuney never received was being recognized as a Top 100 player by his peers. That finally changed on Monday.
Joe Thuney ranked No. 49 on the NFL’s Top 100 Players list going into the 2026 season
Thuney came in at No. 49 on the NFL’s Top 100 Players list, a long deserved recognition. The fact that Thuney has never been ranked on this list before is absurd and I honestly think he’s just a player other players overlook during this process.
The reason why is because of Thuney’s quiet nature and consistently play. He’s the same guy every single day and the same player every single play. For an offensive lineman, there’s no better compliment than that.
“He’s a stud,” Bears new center Garrett Bradbury said, who played college at N.C. State with Thuney. “I think everyone in college knew when he left college what kind of player he was, and no one was surprised by the success he’s had. It blows my mind that that two teams have let that guy walk out of the building. He’s just a special guy, he’s a pro, he handles everything the right way. He’s a good leader. He works his butt off, and he is consistent as they come.”
The Bears’ decision to acquire Thuney was an excellent one, and came at an incredible bargain after seeing the first season he put together with his third team. He was a true difference-maker for the Bears and exactly the kind of pro this organization needed inside the building for other players to look up to.
“He’s just a winner,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said. “He knows what it looks like. [He] gets his work done. He’s a positive influence throughout the week of preparation. He’s the same guy every single day; the model of consistency in terms of his performance but also in terms of how he goes about his craft. And then in the game, he’s just what you’re going to get every single week. He’s been very durable. He’s very smart and he’s been a huge part of our success up front.”
NFL players finally admit some of the things they’ve overlooked in the past with Joe Thuney
After being announced as the No. 49 ranked player heading into the 2026 season, NFL Network’s package featured some players around the league sharing their praise for Thuney and admitting some of the traits they overlooked in the past with him.
“Mr. Consistent,” Green Bay Packers star pass rusher Micah Parsons said. “He’s one of those guys that you just can’t replace, He’s like a mastermind at the line and just makes everything difficult [for a defense].”
“He’s always so fun to watch with how technically sound he is,” Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey added. “Always in great position. Has great strength. Good athlete too. Just watching him play is always so fun.”
For other positions like quarterback or wide receiver, being so consistently elite is hard to miss. For elite offensive linemen, it’s harder to recognize those guys and give them respect they deserve, especially for guy as humble and quiet as Thuney.
I’m glad those in the NFL finally make things right because this is absolutely a list Thuney deserves to be one and should’ve been on multiple times before now.