Chicago Bears guard Joe Thuney took home the NFL’s inaugural Protector of the Year Award at Thursday’s NFL Honors ceremony, adding another achievement to a résumé that is increasingly pointing toward Hall of Fame consideration.
The 10-year NFL veteran has been arguably the best pass-blocking guard in the NFL for years — and there’s a strong case he’s been the best pass-blocking offensive lineman, regardless of position. Since 2018, he has earned a 91.4 PFF pass-blocking grade, the highest among all guards over that span. He has allowed a quarterback knockdown — defined as a sack or quarterback hit — on just 0.7% of his pass-blocking snaps, the third-lowest rate in the league, and has surrendered pressure on only 3.3% of his 6,189 pass-blocking snaps, which is both the largest workload by a significant margin and the third-best pressure rate.
Over the past five seasons, the NC State product has allowed just seven total sacks — including two while filling in at left tackle — a figure that several guards matched or exceeded during the 2025 season alone.
This past season was another outstanding one from Thuney, even as he adjusted to a new team after being traded to the Bears. His 88.6 PFF pass-blocking grade during the regular season ranked third among all offensive linemen and led all guards in the NFL. He also posted a quarterback knockdown rate of just 0.1%, which ranked third among all offensive linemen and first among guards.
Similarly, his 2.2% pressure rate ranked fourth overall — trailing only three centers — and again led all guards.
Perhaps most remarkably, of the 65 guards who logged at least 300 pass-blocking snaps in 2025, Thuney was the only one who did not allow a single sack. That achievement is even more impressive given his workload, as he handled 686 pass-blocking snaps, the fourth-most at the position.
Click here for the full statistical breakdown in PFF Premium Stats.Pass protection is a collective effort with many moving parts, and the Bears entered 2025 with four new starters along the offensive line. Still, the unit’s dramatic improvement in pass protection would have been difficult to imagine without Thuney anchoring the interior.
During the 2024 regular season, Chicago surrendered 180 total pressures — including a league-high 37 sacks — on 682 pass plays, resulting in a PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating of 84.1 that ranked 21st in the NFL. One year later, the Bears allowed just 13 sacks, tied for the second-fewest in the league, and posted an 87.7 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating, the third-best mark in the NFL.
While Thuney is best known for his dominance in pass protection, he has also been remarkably reliable as a run blocker. Among the 84 guards who logged at least 100 run-blocking snaps during the 2025 regular season, he was one of just four to earn a negative PFF grade on fewer than 10% of those plays. His 8.9% negative-grade rate was the lowest among all guards and ranked seventh among all offensive linemen.
Thuney has already been a core contributor to two of the NFL’s defining dynasties of the past decade, pairing elite play with exceptional durability — missing just two games over the course of his career. He has also consistently demonstrated positional versatility, logging meaningful snaps at left tackle on multiple occasions, including against the Rams in this year’s postseason. Now, after capping his career with an individual honor as the inaugural Protector of the Year, Thuney’s résumé reflects more than just sustained excellence — it reflects historic dominance. At this point, his inclusion among future Hall of Famers feels not just appropriate, but overdue.