Left guard Joe Thuney, center Drew Dalman and safety Kevin Byard III have been selected to represent the Bears at the Pro Bowl Games.
"Really excited for our three guys that made it," said coach Ben Johnson. "They all deserved it. It's phenomenal to see them get the recognition they deserve. We had a number of other guys that certainly are worthy of strong consideration as well. We've had a lot of guys play high level football all year long."
Thuney and Dalman both were acquired by general manager Ryan Poles during the offseason to help fortify the interior of the offensive line. In their first season in Chicago, the Bears offense ranks fifth in the NFL in total yards (371.5 per game), second in rushing yards (152.1) and tied for sixth in fewest sacks allowed (23).
This is the fourth straight Pro Bowl nod for Thuney, who was selected each of the past three seasons with the Chiefs. In addition, he was named first-team All-Pro each of the last two years. Before joining the Bears, Thuney won four Super Bowls, two with New England and two with Kansas City.
Chosen by the Patriots in the third round of the 2016 draft out of North Carolina State, Thuney became the first NFL player to start in the Super Bowl in each of his first three seasons in the league. Remarkably, he once again started three straight Super Bowls the previous three years with the Chiefs.
Thuney described the Pro Bowl honor as "super humbling," but added that he "always feels a little weird when you get individual awards because it's a team game."
"I'm very appreciative and just thrilled about it, but I think the team goals are way more important," Thuney said. "There are still more things you want to do and a lot of football left, so you've got to keep the main thing the main thing."
Dalman earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his five-year NFL career. He signed with the Bears as a free agent in March after spending his first four seasons with the Falcons.
Dalman felt the same way as Thuney about being recognized.
"Definitely grateful and appreciative," Dalman said. "But if I'm being honest, an individual award for O-line play feels a little silly because I just rely on those guys every single play all the time. We're always working in conjunction with each other, so all the credit in the world to those guys. Playing next to them has helped me so much and just the knowledge and effort from them has been really helpful."
Byard garnered his third career Pro Bowl selection. He earned Pro Bowl honors and was named first-team All-Pro twice when he played for the Titans: in 2017 when he tied for the NFL lead with eight interceptions and had 16 pass breakups, and in 2017 when he recorded five interceptions and 13 pass breakups.
A co-captain with the Bears, Byard leads the NFL with six interceptions and is part of a defense that tops the league with 31 takeaways and 21 interceptions. He finished Pro Bowl Games fan balloting with the fifth-most votes among all NFL players regardless of position.
"Whenever you're recognized for the season that I've had and our players have had, it means a whole lot," Byard said. "Definitely wish we had a lot more guys in there. I think we had a lot more guys on this team who were deserving and rightfully so should have gotten in, i.e. Nahshon Wright, for sure.
"But at the end of the day, it's a huge honor. It's an honor to be recognized by my peers, coaches and the fans. Top five in overall votes was pretty crazy and pretty incredible to see."
The three Pro Bowlers are the most the Bears have had since 2019 when they sent four in Khalil Mack, Kyle Fuller, Eddie Jackson and Cordarrelle Patterson. This is the first time the Bears have had multiple offensive linemen chosen since 2018 when Cody Whitehair and Charles Leno Jr. were tabbed.
Players were selected to the Pro Bowl Games by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches, with each group's vote counting as one-third.
For the first time, the Pro Bowl Games will move to Super Bowl LX Week in the San Francisco Bay Area. The event brings the league's top players together for an AFC vs. NFC flag football showdown. The televised event will air live from San Francisco's Moscone Center South Building on Tuesday, Feb. 3, which will be transformed into a dynamic flag football arena. Coverage of the Pro Bowl Games begins on ESPN starting at 5:30 p.m. CT with the flag game at 7 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN, Disney XD and ESPN Deportes.
