Bears guard Joe Thuney wins inaugural NFL Protector of the Year Award

Chicago Bears guard Joe Thuney was named the NFL's top offensive lineman of 2025 on Thursday, winning the inaugural Protector of the Year Award.

Thuney, who also was named to the NFL All-Pro team for the third year in a row last month, and earned his fourth Pro Bowl selection in his first year with the Bears, won the award after being traded to Chicago from the Kanas City Chiefs in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick. He beat out five other finalists for the honor: Broncos tackle Garett Bolles, Dolphins center Aaron Brewer, Chiefs center Creed Humphrey, Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz, and Lions tackle Penei Sewell.

"Not a one-man operation," Thuney said. "I have a great support system: my family, my parents, my siblings, Marissa, my cousins, my friends back home, all the former teammates that I've had, the brothers that I've made, I appreciate you, a big reason why I play."  

A team captain, Thuney anchored a revamped offensive line that helped the Bears improve from a league-worst 68 sacks allowed in 2024 to only 24 sacks allowed in 2025, the third-fewest in the NFL.

Thuney himself was credited with zero sacks allowed in 643 regular-season pass-blocking snaps, the most by any player without a sack allowed, according to Next Gen Stats.

The Bears' offense also had the fewest turnovers in the league with 11, and were the only team in the NFL to have multiple rushers with at least 750 yards on the ground. The Bears led the NFL in success rate on run plays (48.1%) and averaged the second-most yards before contact per carry (1.8), according to Next Gen Stats.

The Bears finished the season with the 3rd most rushing yards in the NFL, the 6th most total yards on offense, and the 9th most points per game.