Bears lock up Wright with four-year, $116M deal

Wright was absolutely essential to how the Bears operated last year, to the point where Ben Johnson admitted the team favored plays to their right because they knew he’d be rock solid on the edge. The Bears picked up Wright’s fifth-year option earlier this offseason and have two years of team control on him, so jumping out ahead of an extension and spreading it over these next two years would probably be fiscally prudent for them anyway.

Wright will now be under contract through the 2027 season. The former No. 10 overall pick allowed just three sacks on 436 pass-blocking snaps last season while also allowing a career-low 19 quarterback pressures. Among 68 tackles with at least 500 snaps last season, Wright’s 81.4 PFF blocking grade ranked 14th-highest and earned Second-team All-Pro honors. If he’s able to turn out a strong 2026 campaign, Wright will likely find himself in line for a long-term extension before the start of the 2027 season.

The Bears also ruled out T.J. Edwards (hamstring) and Grady Jarrett (knee), none of the three players practiced at any point this week. Edwards will be missing his second game in a row. Wright’s absence will force Chicago into it’s tackle depth, perhaps leading to a start for Theo Benedet on the outside.

The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs said Wright “came up awkward in the final period,” indicating Wright got banged up while taking a tumble. Hopefully, he returns quickly, without issue. OTs Braxton Jones and Ozzy Trapilo are competing for the Bears’ left tackle role. One of them could potentially shift to the right side, if need be.

The good news is that starting tackles Darnell Wright and Braxton Jones have been cleared for Week 11. Both tackles missed Week 10 with knee injuries. Jenkins left that game with an ankle injury and did not return. He did not practice at any point this week.

This is a big loss for the Bears’ offensive line. Wright is perhaps the unit’s most well-rounded blocker, grading out as the second-best starter per ProFootballFocus (73.4 PFF offense grade). Hopefully, this is just a Grade 1 sprain and Wright is able to play with the help of a brace next week.

Backup interior lineman Dan Feeney is questionable as is starting right tackle Darnell Wright. Losing multiple starting linemen is not what the Bears want to see as they prepare UDFA rookie Tyson Bagent for his first NFL start. Even as one of the league’s weaker defenses, the Raiders are a solid streaming option in a great matchup this week.

In addition to signing Wright, the Bears also signed third-rounder Zacch Pickens and fourth-rounder Tyler Scott to their rookie deals on Monday. Wright is officially locked into his rookie deal and ready to contribute to an offensive line that’s undergone a significant facelift this offseason. Justin Fields has spent his first two years in Chicago running for his life on nearly every drop-back. His growth as a passer will be closely linked to the offensive line buying him enough time to process the field and let plays develop.

Wright (6’5/333) was a 5-star recruit, and the 2nd-ranked Offensive Tackle, from Huntington, West Virginia in the 2019 recruiting class, according to 247 Sports. His best spot is probably at right tackle, where he started 27 games over his four-year collegiate tenure. But he has also started two games at right guard and spent the entirety of his junior year at left tackle. Wright has had plenty of playing experience as he started seven games his freshman year, earning freshman All-SEC accolades for his efforts. But his most impressive performance came in the 2022 season where he helped Tennessee produce the top offense in the country by allowing only two QB hits and six hurries over the course of thirteen games. A super-sized tackle at 333 pounds, it was remarkable how polished his sets were in comparison to other linemen that had some physical advantages over him. Wright also posted a pristine 9.77 RAS at the combine. This shouldn’t have come as a surprise after successful outings in 2022 against Will Anderson as well as the gaggle of pass rushers that LSU was throwing at offenses. Wright will now be tasked with using his outstanding leverage to keep Justin Fields standing upright.

While Wright is technically being considered a game-time decision, 247Sports’ Patrick Brown writes that the 6-foot-6, 275-pounder is “probably closer to doubtful,” as he was not taking part in practice on either Tuesday or Wednesday. The five-star freshman had his ankle rolled up on him against South Carolina last weekend. Should Wright end up sidelined on Saturday, Marcus Tatum could potentially step up as starter, with K’Rojhn Calbert slotting up on the depth chart behind Tatum.