Chicago Bears offensive lineman Darnell Wright has been all that the coaches want. He continues to grow as he faces new challenges.
The Chicago Bears have dealt with offensive line trouble for years now. If it isn’t watching struggling players it is watching players go down with injuries.
Early on this season, it was more of the same. They have yet to have their projected starting lineup play in any games. Guard Teven Jenkins went on injured reserve before the season began. Then a couple of games in, tackle Braxton Jones also went on injured reserve.
The Bears also dealt with Lucas Patrick, Nate Davis, and Doug Kramer, among others, dealing with injuries.
There is another lineman who is dealing with injuries. Rookie tackle Darnell Wright is dealing with a shoulder and toe injury. Wright is the Bears’ first-round draft pick this year. He has a lot of eyes on him trying to figure out how good he could become.
The Bears passed on defensive tackle Jalen Carter with the ninth pick in order to pick up Wright. They traded down one spot so the Philadelphia Eagles could pick Carter. The Bears still got Wright and an extra draft pick.
It appeared that Chicago did not want to deal with possible character issues with Carter. They explained that they had a need on the offensive line and that was the reason for choosing Wright. However, they also had a need at defensive tackle as well so that argument does not hold water.
For the rest of their careers, Carter and Wright will be linked together. Which player will have a better career? Well, so far, they have both been playing well. Carter has been everything the Philadelphia Eagles wanted. Wright has been the same for the Bears, albeit doing it more quietly.
It seems that every week we see clips of Wright, whether they are good or bad. With the Bears desperate to have elite offensive linemen, they need the first-rounder to be that guy. Through the good and bad, Wright has progressed and gotten better on the line.
Wright’s play last week in the Chicago Bears’ 30-12 upset victory is the stuff of legends. He earned a lot of respect not only from his teammates but also around the league.
Wright was dealing with his shoulder problem. He should have probably missed the game. However, with all the bodies down and another rookie, quarterback Tyson Bagent, making his first career start, the Bears needed him. He came through in a huge way.
- Feed has no items.
In addition to dealing with his shoulder pain, Wright had to block Maxx Crosby. Crosby is a two-time Pro Bowl player and one of the top pass rushers in the league. It was a tall order for Wright.
Wright passed the test with flying colors holding Crosby at bay for most of the game. Crosby had just one sack and one quarterback hit. Bagent was able to have enough time to make plays.
In the run game, Wright was pivotal. The Bears ran for 173 yards. They ran 11 times on Wright’s side for 83 yards. What that means is they rushed for 90 yards everywhere else combined. The rushers averaged 7.5 yards every time they ran on his side.
Wright had a gutsy performance. The Bears needed him despite his injury and he came through. His teammates noticed how he suffered throughout the game. Larry Borom, who is filling in for Jones, spoke about how big Wright’s game was last week.
To do that against arguably one of the best edge rushers in the league, he’s a dog. Everyone knew he was dealing with something. But for him to gut through it for the team, that speaks everything.
Wright also appreciates the mistakes he has committed. He allowed five sacks and had five penalties called on him. Also, the memory of going up against All-Pro edge rusher Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs is burned in his memory banks.
Jones completely wrecked Wright in the Chiefs’ thrashing of the Bears 41-10 in Week 3. Jones gave Wright the “welcome to the NFL” treatment. He uses Jones as the benchmark for the player he wants to be.
I realized the difference in how good some players can be. Like the difference between me and him is so vast. After that game, I realized, OK, when I can get to the day when I can block someone like him easily and not need any help or not need any type of special treatment … that’s when I was like, OK, now I have a clear goal — to be that good.
Wright feels that he learns more from his troubles than his successes. He wants to be a great player and that attitude will help him go a long way. In college, he played in the best conference in college football, the SEC. He faced some of the best pass rushers and did a great job of keeping them from his quarterback. Now he wants to do the same in the NFL.
This week Wright did not practice on Wednesday and was limited on Thursday. There is a chance Jones will come back. If that happens, then Borom could move over and give Wright the rest he really needs.
After the game against Crosby, he also hurt his toe. He would likely go up against Khalil Mack, another elite pass rusher. At times he may also face Joey Bosa, another great pass rusher. If Wright does play, does he have a repeat performance in him?