Darnell Wright Ranked Among NFL's Best Offensive Tackles, But is Still Too Low

The Chicago Bears' breakout 2025 season continues to impress the NFL world, and everyone from fans and analysts to coaches have been forced to reconsider how they view Bears players. Montez Sweat's inclusion on the 2026 Top 100 list marked just his second appearance on this player-voted honor, and now All-Pro tackle Darnell Wright lands in ESPN's Top 10 offensive tackle rankings for the first time, coming in at No. 6.

Darnell Wright's recognition is overdue but well-earned

Some folks may not remember it, but there was a time when Darnell Wright was viewed as a bad pick for the Bears. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter was available at No. 9 in the 2023 NFL draft, but general manager Ryan Poles traded the pick to Philadelphia and selected Wright at No. 10. Given Chicago's defensive struggles, both before and since that moment, many fans and analysts listed this move as one of Poles' biggest draft misses.

But Wright's All-Pro breakthrough in 2025 fully validated that crucial decision. Wright was the sole bright spot on Chicago's offensive line through the 2023 and 2024 seasons and is now viewed as an anchor of one of the NFL's best offensive lines. His All-Pro nod last year was a belated yet well-deserved honor, as is his inclusion in ESPN's ranking of the Top 10 offensive tackles.

This annual series of rankings polls anonymous coaches, executives, and scouts around the NFL and compiles the results into one list. "Power and brute strength", said one NFL personnel director in regard to Wright's game. "He can do whatever he wants on a football field." That's true enough. Bears fans will recall a moment from Wright's rookie season when Wright stone-walled five-time Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby for an entire game despite only having one good arm, thanks to an injury.

The ceiling is still above Darnell Wright

ESPN's ranking wasn't all good news for Wright. One NFL defensive coach noted, "I don't see a consistently high motor. That's the next step for him is getting that up." I may disagree on the idea that Wright doesn't play with a sufficient motor, but it is true that he can still get even better in the coming years.

Remember, despite already playing three NFL seasons, Wright is still just 24 years old. Of the five offensive tackles ranked above him, the only one who isn't significantly older than Wright is three-time All-Pro Penei Sewell, who is 25 years old and came in at No. 1. In fact, only one player on the entire Top 10 list is younger than Wright, and that's Joe Alt at No. 9.

That's what makes the talks around Darnell Wright's next contract so important. He's now eligible to sign an extension, and his All-Pro award last season drove the cost to keep Wright in Chicago way up. The hope is that he and the Bears can reach agreement on a new contract before training camp starts up, both to keep Wright fully locked in to improving his craft and to prevent the offensive tackle market from creeping even higher before he's signed.

There's one respected veteran that Darnell Wright should already be listed above

Even at No. 6 in ESPN's rankings, I still think Wright is listed too low. Not by much, but he's still being underrated by the NFL world. I would place him at No. 5, taking the spot of Laremy Tunsil. That's meant as no disrespect to Tunsil's storied career, but at 31-years-old the five-time Pro Bowler has taken a bit of a step back from his best playing days.

Meanwhile, Wright is just entering his prime and, after earning his first All-Pro nod in 2025, seems primed for an even bigger jump in 2026. In fact, one year after Joe Thuney won the NFL's inaugural Protector of the Year award, Darnell Wright could very well keep the prestigious new award in Chicago for another season.

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