Former Oregon Ducks Dillon Thieneman, Jadon Canady and Emmanuel Pregnon all got their first taste of NFL preseason action on Saturday, each stepping into different roles for their new teams.
Thieneman, who went No. 25 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, was in the starting lineup at safety for Chicago and played 14 snaps in the Bears’ 34-10 win over Cleveland at Soldier Field. He finished with one solo tackle, and that stop came when he chased down Cleveland rookie running back Quinshon Judkins along the right sideline and forced him out of bounds.
There’s a bigger spotlight on Thieneman heading into 2026, too. With fellow starting safety Coby Bryant having knee surgery and being ruled out for four to six months, the Bears will need more from the former Duck.
Canady’s debut with Kansas City looked a little different, but it was active. The fourth-round pick didn’t start in the Chiefs’ 20-12 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams, yet he logged 23 snaps and made four tackles, three of them solo.
Pregnon, a third-round pick, handled a starting job right away for Jacksonville. He opened at left guard and was on the field for 32 snaps in the Jaguars’ 24-20 home win over New Orleans.
Their debuts followed Thursday’s preseason firsts for Las Vegas wide receiver Malik Benson, Indianapolis linebacker Bryce Boettcher and Houston running back Noah Whittington.
Kenyon Sadiq, the No. 16 overall pick, did not play in Oregon’s first preseason game on Friday against Tampa Bay after a setback tied to hernia surgery in May.
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