Coby Bryant’s biggest piece of advice to the Bears’ first-round pick, fellow safety Dillon Thieneman, was to slow down.
The Super Bowl champ wasn’t being metaphorical, metaphysical or deep. He wanted the rookie not to run so fast during the first part of mandatory minicamp practices last week.
“He wants to go full speed in everything …” Bryant said. “[In] Individual drills, we have to tell him to slow down because I’m not running that fast individually. I’m 27, he’s 21.”
Thieneman wasn’t having it.
“I don’t know if I’ll slow down,” he said with a smile.
Blame the exuberance of youth. And Thieneman’s athleticism, which led the Bears to become one of the rare teams to use a first-round selection on a safety.
Truth be told, Bryant doesn’t mind either thing.
“He’s very coachable, he’s exciting to watch,” Bryant said. “He makes plays every day, so it’s been special. … He’s a great football player. Once he sees something he recognizes, he makes a play right away. That’s the biggest thing, especially playing safety in this defense as well. He has had a great spring, and I know he’ll continue to grow.”
Bryant could be a big reason why. The Bears gave the Seahawks’ standout a three-year, $40 million deal in March as part of their plan to reshape their defense, choosing Bryant over captain and first-team all-pro Kevin Byard, who eventually left for the Patriots. They touted Bryant’s speed, versatility and aggressiveness, traits they’d use to describe Thieneman when they picked him a month later.
The Bears’ two biggest splurges of the offseason, in terms of salary and draft picks, play safety. Devoting resources to two safeties was the great surprise of the Bears’ offseason — and a bet that came with opportunity costs. The Bears, though, believe in what the two can do together.
“That versatility that Dillon and Coby have, there’s a lot of things that you can do,” safeties coach Matt Giordano said. “Now it’s just help them learn our defense and figure out what they do best to put them in the right positions to make plays.”
The rookie is an upside play. Bryant, though, is coming off the greatest accomplishment of his career, helping to anchor a championship defense.
“He’s one of those guys — he knows what good football and bad football looks like,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said. “He just came from a Super Bowl-winning team. I think
there’s a premium on that experience. I think it easily resonates with all the guys in the locker room. I think there’s an instant amount of respect that he’s garnered because of that.”
Last week, Bryant flew to Seattle to collect his prize. He received his Super Bowl ring as part of the Seahawks’ private ceremony. Bryant posted a picture on social media but was sure to add a “Bear Down” for good measure.
“Whatever questions they have, I answer them, but … I just try to be here present where my feet are and be that leader, to get there again …” Bryant said. “I try not to use my past — what I did in Seattle — with these guys. The biggest thing I came here to do is be a leader and direct these guys and lead these guys, and vice versa. I need to be led as well.”
Entering his fifth season, Bryant is still honing his leadership style. He knows his new teammates are watching him — and have noticed that his coaches are, too.
“A lot of guys respect me and how I go about myself and how I practice … ” he said. “I just go out and be the example.”
The Bears have used Bryant’s play to teach their young players, at safety and otherwise. Before a recent practice, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen pulled up a clip of Bryant rallying to the ball from his deep spot as the post safety.
“When you watch him on the practice field, he really comes to life. …” Johnson said. “It was all over his tape in Seattle. That’s what we’re getting right now, and I think it’s contagious.”
It’s the best way to teach Thieneman. The Bears are bringing the Oregon rookie along methodically. He hasn’t been playing alongside Bryant on the first team in practices, but the Bears plan for him to surpass Elijah Hicks for the starting job soon.
The rookie said Bryant’s counsel has come in quiet moments.
“It’s more like the little things … ” he said. “When he speaks up or just talking to him one-on-one, or asking him how he would play something like that. He’s been very helpful.”