Bear Digest

Rival coach has surprising praise for Bears' Darnell Wright ahead of Week 11 matchup

Chicago's third-year offensive lineman is in the midst of his best season yet, and rival coaches are taking notice.
Pete Martuneac|
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The Chicago Bears' offensive line has been one of the league's best through 10 weeks of the 2025 NFL season, but it wasn't always this way. In fact, across the first three years of Ryan Poles' tenure as general manager, the offensive line was an unmitigated disaster with just one shining exception: right tackle Darnell Wright. From Day 1, Wright provided high-level play on the right side of the line, stonewalling such pass rushers as Maxx Crosby and Aiden Hutchinson.

Now in Year 3, with the prospect of a huge payday on the horizon, Chicago's right tackle is having his best year yet and is finally getting the recognition he's due. This past week, Wright was going viral for a 1-arm block in Sunday's incredible win over the New York Giants. On this play, a pivotal 3rd-and-10 late in the fourth quarter, Brian Burns attempted a spin move to get after Caleb Williams. Wright was having none of that and knocked the NFL's sack leader to the turf with one hand.

In the same game, Wright picked up a blitzing safety and tossed him like an angry bouncer at a nightclub.

But Wright's praises are not only being sung by fans and analysts. Even rival coaches are now tailoring game plans against him. Kevin O'Connell, head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, was asked about Chicago's offensive line ahead of their upcoming Week 11 matchup and called Wright "one of the best right tackles in football".

That may come off as a surprise to many NFL fans who aren't terribly familiar with Wright's body of work, but many Bears fans have been saying this for some time now. Wright was arguably the best offensive tackle prospect in his draft class, and the Bears even passed on drafting defensive tackle Jalen Carter to add him to their depleted O-line.

Singling out Wright on an offensive line that includes four-time All-Pro guard Joe Thuney speaks volumes about Wright's reputation around the league. If Wright is indeed one of the best right tackles in the NFL, that puts him on the level of Penei Sewell or Lane Johnson. That means that he's in line for a massive contract extension this offseason, and the Bears should not hesitate to get that done.

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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