Bear Digest

Bears' unheralded star receives major recognition amid disrespect

This underrated Chicago Bears star is finally getting the respect he deserves.
Matthew Schmidt|
Chicago Bears offensive tackle Darnell Wright (58) after an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Chicago Bears offensive tackle Darnell Wright (58) after an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. | Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears' offensive line was a major source of contention last season, as quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times and the rushing attack was not up to snuff.

The Bears went to work addressing the issue over the last several months, signing free agents, swinging trades and utilizing the NFL draft.

However, one particular Chicago offensive lineman actually wasn't a problem at all last season: right tackle Darnell Wright. In fact, an argument can be made that Wright was one of the better tackles in football in 2024.

Chicago Bears offensive tackle Darnell Wright (58) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
Chicago Bears offensive tackle Darnell Wright (58) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Zoltan Buday of Pro Football Focus certainly thinks highly of Wright, dubbing the former first-round pick as one of the most underrated offensive linemen in the league heading into the 2025 campaign.

"The 10th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft makes this list due to the public's extremely poor perception of the Chicago Bears‘ offensive line last season," Buday wrote. "While the unit did allow the most in the NFL, partially due to rookie quarterback Caleb Williams’ penchant to take sacks while under pressure, not all five starters played at a low level."

Buday then went on to note Wright's 79.3 overall grade at Pro Football Focus last season, which ranked 16th among qualifying tackles. He also registered an 82.2 run-blocking grade.

To be even more optimistic, Wright is just 24 years old, so he has ample room to grow going into the coming season and beyond.

Perhaps the University of Tennessee product can make his first Pro Bowl appearance in 2025.

Chicago Bears offensive tackle Darnell Wright (58) warms up during minicamp at Halas Hall.
Chicago Bears offensive tackle Darnell Wright (58) warms up during minicamp at Halas Hall. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.

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