GM Ryan Poles heard lots of outside noise about the necessity of taking Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter in the 2023 draft. His talent and style of play were a perfect fit for the Chicago Bears‘ 4-3 defense under Matt Eberflus. However, there were well-documented character red flags about Carter. Poles also knew he needed to bolster Justin Fields’ protection on the offensive line. After extensive evaluation, he and his front office became convinced that Tennessee right tackle Darnell Wright was the guy they needed.
He was big, strong, nimble, and already an accomplished pass protector in college football’s best conference. Things didn’t start well. Wright struggled a bit in the opener against Green Bay. Meanwhile, Carter got off to a hot start for the Philadelphia Eagles. People started hammering Poles for his decision. However, things have begun to shift. Increasing video evidence shows the Bears may have landed themselves a proper anchor for their offensive line.
Nobody is more convinced of this than Brian Baldinger, an analyst for NFL Network and former offensive lineman himself.
There are still occasional bumps. He had a missed block on the decisive play of Sunday’s game against Denver that saw a 4th and 1 stuffed. The Broncos went on to kick the game-winning field goal. Wright took full ownership of it after the game. His maturity is another sign of why he should end up being a good player for a long time. Baldinger knows ball. He played in the league for 11 years and has covered it for decades since. Wright is somebody he liked coming out of college. Now, he’s even more confident in that original assessment.
One person thrilled about this is Poles. He’s been under siege for several of his roster decisions lately. Chase Claypool is a disaster. Nate Davis hasn’t worked out. The defensive line still can’t do anything consequential. Darnell Wright represented his first selection in the 1st round as GM. The fact Wright looks like an immediate hit might be enough to convince people Poles deserves more time to build the roster properly. He’s set them up perfectly in 2024, boasting two likely top-5 picks and a mountain of salary cap space.
