The Chicago Bears’ offense had a tough afternoon on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. Part of it was the Vikings playing good defense, but most of it was the Bears’ inability to get out of their own way. They ran 14 plays inside the red zone and came away with just 3 points. They had 6 penalties in Minnesota territory, a fumble at the goal line, and a dropped pass at the 5-yard line that probably would’ve scored had the receiver held on. Then Caleb Williams got hurt. It was a brutal series of events. That said, the game wasn’t without positive performances. Ask Darnell Wright.
Chicago’s newly paid right tackle was in top form on Sunday. He had the unenviable task of going against surging Vikings pass rusher Dallas Turner and only allowed 1 pressure all day. He was also the team’s highest-rated run blocker. That can make it easy to stop watching him. You just know he’ll get the job done.
This is a shame because most fans completely missed Wright delivering one of the greatest blocks in NFL history. It came midway through the 2nd quarter. Facing 2nd-and-8, Chicago faced one of Minnesota’s many blitzes. As he was coming out of his stance, Wright stumbled. It looked like Vikings edge rusher Kyle Van Noy had a clear line to the quarterback. Wright somehow uses his momentum from the stumble to spin himself around 270 degrees and land directly in Van Noy’s path, slowing him just long enough for Williams to get the pass off.
Somehow, the sideline view is even better. It gives you an incredible perspective of the insane agility and presence of mind Wright needed to pull it off.
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Darnell Wright is somehow still underappreciated.
For the longest time, people have circled Detroit’s Penei Sewell as the class of the NFC North at right tackle. That has made it far too easy for Wright to be overlooked. Well, that perspective might be changing. Sewell had a brutal second week, putting up a clunker against the Bills in Buffalo. Wright has allowed just 3 total pressures on the quarterback in two weeks despite facing an array of good pass rushers. He’s also one of the best run-blocking tackles in all of football. There aren’t any holes in his game.
Credit must go where it is due. For the longest time, the Bears have been terrible with their evaluations of 1st round offensive tackles. They drafted Jimbo Covert in 1983, who went on to the Hall of Fame. The list of choices since then hasn’t quite matched that success.
| Year | Draft Pick | Player Name | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 22nd overall | Stan Thomas | Texas |
| 2002 | 29th overall | Marc Colombo | Boston College |
| 2008 | 14th overall | Chris Williams | Vanderbilt |
| 2011 | 29th overall | Gabe Carimi | Wisconsin |
Ryan Poles finally broke the streak.
It seems rather fitting that a former Bears offensive lineman was the one who finally got them back on track. What makes it even better is that lots of people questioned the decision. Coming out of Tennessee, experts saw Darnell Wright as more of a mid-to-late 1st round prospect. Great size and good athleticism, but he has too many flaws in his game. Poles didn’t care. He saw a rare talent with an outstanding work ethic. With some time, he could become something special. So the Bears took him 10th overall.
Since then, he has become the foundation of an offensive turnaround that has been decades in the making. Every success the Bears have enjoyed on that side of the ball since head coach Ben Johnson arrived can be traced to him. The only thing missing was a signature block to show everybody how great he is.
Well, he has that now.
