The Chicago Bears caught a lot of heat last April when they decided to trade down from #9 overall to #10 with the Philadelphia Eagles. This handed the defending NFC champions the rights to Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, whom many felt was the best overall prospect in the class. GM Ryan Poles didn’t care. He was wary of the red flags surrounding Carter’s character. Besides, there was another player he’d become enamored with leading up to the draft. That was Tennessee right tackle Darnell Wright.
The Bears loved his size, length, power, and quick feet. His pass protection was much further along than other tackles in the class, and they knew he had the work ethic necessary to get even better. It didn’t matter that experts rated him as more of a late 1st round pick. He was exactly what they were looking for. Time has proven them wise. Wright has played above expectations through seven games. Former Bears and Saints executive Josh Lucas went so far as to indicate they may have gotten a steal to Adam Jahns of The Athletic.
But from left to right — Larry Borom, Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick, Teven Jenkins and Darnell Wright — the line and the tight ends rocked the Las Vegas Raiders defense, which allowed running back D’Onta Foreman to roll right through them…
…“(Nos.) 76 and 58 next to each other are going to cause a s— ton of problems for people,” Lucas said of Jenkins and Wright.
“He is a freak show,” Lucas said while watching Wright slide his feet into position. “That is what you call a dancing bear.”
Darnell Wright looks like precisely what the Bears needed.
It’s been far too long since this franchise had a true anchor at the tackle position. Wright can do everything required. He is already an accomplished pass protector. What has caught many by surprise is how much better he got at run-blocking in such a short span of time. That was supposed to be one of his primary weaknesses. Yet he’s now the highest-graded run-blocking rookie tackle this season. He’s not polished yet. There is still plenty of work to do before he reaches the high ceiling he is capable of.
Still, it is difficult not to be excited about where Darnell Wright is trending. If Poles could add somebody like him to the mix, it’s a great sign that the Bears offensive line may soon be a force in the NFL. That has always been one of the primary reasons this team could never win with any continuity. They couldn’t control the trenches. Wright is a big step towards changing that. It will be fun to see how he continues improving over the next couple of months.
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