Grading Chicago Bears rookie 2023 draft class after quarter point of the season

The Chicago Bears are sitting at about the quarter mark of the season. With 17 games and not 16, it is not quite as even, but they are not past 25% of the games played. So, with a short break after the Thursday night game, it is a good time to look back on how the Bears rookie class has looked in their first quarter of NFL play.

Chicago Bears RT Darnell Wright

Darnell Wright has played 313 snaps for the Chicago Bears, 100% of the offensive snaps. He has 193 snaps in pass protection and 120 as a run blocker. As a run blocker, he has excelled in the NFL. He is at his best providing down blocks, pulling, and extending blocks into the second level to clear paths for longer runs.

For how big he looks, he is light on his feet and the Bears have utilized moving him in the run game.

He has had to iron some things out as a pass protector, but for the most part, he has held things down. Wright has had a few slip-ups, but Rashan Gary, Montez Sweat, and Chris Jones are responsible for some of his biggest losses this season, so that cannot be too concerning this early into his career.

Nik Bonitto also beat Darnell Wright on an inside step, and he had a step to the outside once in the game against Denver. Wright has done well when facing off with bigger, power rushers, but sometimes speed rushers can get to the outside and also cause Wright to overstep outside due to fear of losing, which opens an inside counter. These are minor things to look at for a player who has performed well as a rookie.

Grade through five weeks: B+