Don’t Look Now, But Darnell Wright Quietly Ranks Among NFL’s Best
People have been so quick to lambast the Chicago Bears for not taking defensive tackle Jalen Carter in the 1st round a few months ago. Yes, the defensive tackle has played well for Philadelphia. He deserves credit for that. However, it does a disservice to the events unfolding on the field for this team. People who have paid close attention might notice that Darnell Wright continues to play well. Really well. There are occasional blunders befitting a rookie, but far fewer than one might expect, given the myriad of issues this offense has.
The game against the Denver Broncos was his finest performance to date. Pass rushers couldn’t get past whenever they had to face him one-on-one. There were multiple instances where guys were straight bullied and threw up their arms in frustration.
Where it gets even better is the company Wright is keeping. The Bears rookie has allowed four pressures on the quarterback in 76 one-on-one blocks. Here’s a list of notable names with similar stats.
- Trent Williams – 3 pressures in 45 snaps
- Trent Brown – 3 pressures in 71 snaps
- Rashawn Slater – 4 pressures in 73 snaps
- Ryan Ramczyk – 6 pressures in 84 snaps
- Lane Johnson – 6 pressures in 66 snaps
- Jake Matthews – 6 pressures in 56 snaps
If that weren’t enough? He’s also the 12th-highest-graded run blocker in the league. For all the gushing over Carter, it is becoming clear the Bears got themselves a legit stud.
Darnell Wright might be their first anchor piece in a decade.
Poor investments are part of the Bears’ problem with building successful offensive lines. Their last three 1st round tackles (Mike Colombo, Chris Williams, and Gabe Carimi) all endured injury setbacks from the jump. Kyle Long is the last player they used a 1st round pick on for the offensive line. It’s not a coincidence the blocking was better during his earlier healthy years. There were plenty of reasons why the Bears line of the 1980s was so dominant. Having two 1st round tackles certainly helped.
Saving the offensive line will take more than Darnell Wright. It’s a five-position group. Still, having somebody of his caliber in the mix should make life easier moving forward. There is little doubt this young man should be a capable starter for years to come. He’s got the size, power, quickness, feet, and work ethic to succeed. The next step for the Bears is putting more pieces like him in the huddle. Next spring, they will have another ample opportunity with three picks in the first two rounds.