As we know, the Chicago Bears’ offensive line has been a problem for most of the year. They’ve had their moments of competency, but there have been a lot more moments causing worry than ones building confidence through 12 weeks of the season.
One of those worries was Darnell Wright’s slow start to the 2024 season. The Bears’ first-round draft pick from 2023 had a great rookie season and high expectations coming into 2024. Through the first four weeks of this season though, he struggled. The playcalling wasn’t doing the line any favors, but Wright wasn’t looking great either way. He allowed four sacks in the first four weeks.
Since that point though, he’s turned his season around. Wright has given up just five total sacks on the year, meaning he has allowed only one sack since Week 4. He has also cut back on the penalties, too, with only three in his last six games after committing three in the team’s first four matchups.
Sunday was a tough test for the Bears up front. Possibly the toughest they’ve faced since the absolute debacle of a performance in Houston in Week 2. Not only did Darnell Wright hold his own, but he also put a good performance on tape. He finished the day with a 77.0 grade on Pro Football Focus, good enough for the second-best Bears offensive performance of the matchup behind only Teven Jenkins.
Chicago has a long way to go in rebuilding its offensive line (I’ll have my plan at some point after the season). But the way Wright has looked in the second half of the season should be encouraging to those who follow the Bears. Wright has the look of an anchor at right tackle for the future.
Darnell Wright Film
Play #1
Similar to Braxton Jones last week, Wright gets a pancake out in space pic.twitter.com/wGiWfntI4O— Matthew Rooney (@mrooney23) November 26, 2024
This is similar to the sweep to the short side of the field that D’Andre Swift scored on last week behind a Braxton Jones pancake in space.
Wright does a nice job getting depth and getting around the end-man on the line of scrimmage dipping his shoulder to avoid contact and getting caught up. Once he sees Rome Odunze has his man pinned outside, Wright turns it upfield and takes care of the first wrong color he sees, which happens to be an off-balance Kamu Grugier-Hill.
The play doesn’t result in a touchdown like last week, but Wright did a great job as the lead blocker in space and finished his block with some violence.
Play #2
On Roschon Johnson’s TD, Wright down blocked and created a hole a truck could drive through pic.twitter.com/TpM4b7Q8QT— Matthew Rooney (@mrooney23) November 26, 2024
Power football is just so beautiful sometimes. It took a failed speed option on 4th & Goal from the 1 for the Bears to finally decide to run the ball up the middle with Roschon Johnson when on the goal line, but hey, it’s working!
This is the same power/gap scheme we’ve seen them run multiple times now. Everyone down blocks, and Teven Jenkins leads up the hole. The guard is supposed to pull up tight off the outside of the last double team on the line of scrimmage. Thanks to how the DT is lined up inside of Darnell Wright, however, Wright creates a second hole that Roschon Johnson could have walked right on through if he wanted to.
Wright caves down the entire line of scrimmage which left all the room in the world for the double team to work and Teven Jenkins to lead up the hole. Wright caves down. Marcedes Lewis comes off the double team for the backer. Doug Kramer kicks out the end. Teven Jenkins gets a piece of the first wrong-color jersey he sees. Touchdown Bears.
Yes, the way that the defensive tackle was lined up and took his step, the block set up exactly how Wright wanted it to. But that DT also has the job of taking that step and being firm/not getting moved. He knew he was likely getting down-blocked hard, and Wright still bulldozed him anyway.
Wright was known for his stout pass protection when coming out of Tennessee, but his ability to maul in the run game and the violence he’s playing with have been very encouraging signs of him developing into an all-around anchor on the right side.
Play #3
Pass pro might not have many highlight reel blocks, but it was incredibly efficient
Full post coming on @BN_Bears in a bit pic.twitter.com/z7a1EIQ8Hx— Matthew Rooney (@mrooney23) November 26, 2024
Oh, how far the Chicago Bears’ offensive line has come! Again, they’re still a work in progress and need 2-3 major tweaks this offseason, but hey, they’re picking up stunts now!
Wright has Andrew Van Ginkel lined up as a wide rusher on this play. He pass-sets wide to meet Andrew Van Ginkel who sells the outside rush for the first two steps. Once he begins to dart inside, Wright recognizes it, plants his foot, and steps back inside with him. Instead of allowing the edge rusher to split him and Matt Pryor, Wright is firm on the inside and firmly shoves him across to Pryor which keeps that inside protected.
He may have overextended a slight touch, but Wright’s punch is what kept Van Ginkel from splitting him and Pryor. After passing off the edge rusher, Wright gets back into place to pick up the looper, and while he’s ever so slightly out of position he recovers just fine and Caleb Williams gets the ball off untouched.
Were there more dominant pass rush reps on tape for Wright in this game? Sure. But the thing about winning pass rush reps is they often don’t look terribly sexy. It just looks like the offensive lineman doing his job, which Wright did just about all day on Sunday.
I know fixing the offensive line will be the top priority this offseason, but Darnell Wright looks like one piece that can be relied on moving forward.
