The Chicago Bears have plenty of questions and murkiness around the future. General Manager Ryan Poles has made plenty of mistakes in his early tenure, but it is shaping up that Darnell Wright is going to be a good player for a long time. What brings these signs so early into his career?
3. Darnell Wright has faced serious competition with the Chicago Bears
Darnell Wright has been charged with five sacks allowed, per PFF. However, the names of the sack-getters include Chris Jones, Shaq Barrett, Maxx Crosby, and Montez Sweat. When you break it down like that, it is easier to forgive the rookie. Darnell Wright has been through a gauntlet to start his career.
In week one it was Rashan Gary and in week two it was Barrett. In week three, he saw Chris Jones sporadically, in between a dog fight with George Karlaftis. Nik Bonitto and Jon Cooper have been better this year and faced him in week four.
Then, he faced Montez Sweat, Danielle Hunter, and Maxx Crosby all in a row. The fact that he has not been a liability is a sign of success in itself. Even if he handled himself much worse in this three-game stretch, there would be room to be positive, but his performance over that span shows that he has a future in the NFL.
Every week is a tough spot in the NFL, and with Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack on deck, it is not going to get easier. Still, there are a few softer spots coming, and Wright is adjusting fast that he may be able to finish the season strong after the late bye week. Darnell Wright has been tested and has shown talent. That is all you want to see at this point.
2. Darnell Wright is already the Chicago Bears best lineman
It is funny when we grade the Chicago Bears offensive line that have to list so many linemen at each position. Then, there is the one player at right tackle. It may be by default through health, but Wright is clearly the most trusted offensive lineman on this unit.
At left tackle, the team had to place Braxton Jones on the IR after a penalty-filled start to his year. Larry Borom has been a disaster in his place. Cody Whitehair has shuffled from left guard to center and struggled at both. Lucas Patrick has been an issue at center, and when Teven Jenkins is healthy, he has been shuffling between left and right guard.
Ja'Tyre Carter has played both guard spots as well, and a lot of the shuffling is around Nate Davis, who has played three games this year. The line is a mess, and then there is Darnell Wright on the right side, who has not missed a snap. Getting reliability on that side, knowing he will be able to square off with legitimate defenders, and establishing at least one building block on this unit of five is a huge win for the Bears.
1. There are clear areas of growth for Darnell Wright
As we noted it is not like Darnell Wright is a finished product yet. We have seen him lose and we have seen that there are plenty of areas for him to improve the good news is that most of his questions are fixable areas. In the run game, a lot of his issues come down to lunging and missing. This can be coached up and as he gets more time in the NFL, his timing, and his ability to find his target will improve.
Wright also can get into better physical shape. That is something you would expect to see next year. Rookies go straight from games like the Senior Bowl to working on the NFL Combine drills, then draft prep; they do not have the time to improve themselves for what it takes to stay in the NFL. Wright will get downtime to rest and then will get on the NFL offseason plan. He should come into next summer in great shape, battle-tested, and experienced. There is a lot of reason to buy Darnell Wright.