Nahshon Wright was a nobody when the Chicago Bears signed him. He’d had a quiet career as a 3rd round pick with the Dallas Cowboys before failing to latch on with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this year. He joined the Bears for $1.1 million at the behest of secondary coach Al Harris, who knew him from Dallas. Everybody expected Wright to compete for one of the last reserve cornerback spots on the roster. Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, and Terell Smith already had the top four locked up.
Nobody could’ve imagined what would follow. Three of those four names would end up on Injured Reserve in the coming week. Chicago’s cornerback room was decimated. Wright had been thrust into the starting lineup out of necessity. Rather than look like a boy among men, as many backups usually do, the 27-year-old met the moment. He is now tied for second in the league with five interceptions. In fact, the season he is having is approaching historic territory, according to senior NFL researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno.
Nahshon Wright is rubbing shoulders with greatness.
Think about that list. Charles Woodson? Hall of Famer. Minkah Fizpatrick and Marcus Peters? All-Pros. All were also 1st round picks. What Nahshon Wright is doing shouldn’t be possible, at least not so out of the blue like this. Going from backup to playing like one of the best defensive backs of the decade is unheard of. It’s a testament to the work done by Harris and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen in getting him ready. All of this serves as a reminder that more good players exist in the league than people realize. It is always about finding the right situation and getting an opportunity.
Wright certainly found his. This season has been easily one of the most pleasant surprises in Bears history. It will also secure the cornerback a hefty new contract next spring. Sadly, Chicago is unlikely to be able to give it to him due to salary cap constraints. Still, this year has benefited all parties regardless.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Dollars earning easy job to work and earn online. start now making every day more than $500 simply working from home. i received $19517 previous month and i gave this job only 2 hrs a day online. so simple and it doesn’t required any kind of special skills. you can run Google then you can do this job.
Go here for info…….. JobatHome1.Com
Well if the Bears ever get Edmunds and Edward’s back at the LB position we won’t need 5 or 6 dbs on the field. But DA, and his staff has pulled it off. I’ve been wondering about Billings injury. Anybody got an update?
@citizen34 I’m gonna go out onto a limb and say that I agree with you about JJ, we both know this is not popular, but I’ve never been one to fear speaking my own mind. I’ve never viewed JJ as a HOF shutdown corner, he’s solid but I just don’t see him being a $20 million dollar a year corner. I also agree with you about the coaching element, I know we we’re sorta forced to go into our bench because of injuries, but many coaches refuse to play guys on the depth chart, Nashon Wright is a perfect example… Read more »
This is another example of how important coaching is in the NFL versus just drafting guys. Amon-Ra St. Brown was drafted in the 4th round and is probably a top 5 receiver in the entire NFL. He was also coached up from Ben from the get-go. When you have really good coaching, you don’t have to overpay for free agents all the time. I like JJ but is he worth $20M a year over this guy? If I’m the GM, I make certain we overpay for coaches and continue to draft and develop talent!
Thanks for the Consensus Big Board. I know that’s more important than teams scouting. Teams all over the NFL are dropping their scouting departments because there’s a Consensus Big Board that does that for them