After Bears tight end Colston Loveland’s winning catch-and-run touchdown against the Bengals, an equally impressive maneuver took place as 6-5, 325-pound right tackle Darnell Wright’s joy propelled him into a celebratory cartwheel while running down the field.
“Just happy we scored,” he said.
That’s Wright’s reaction to everything.
He’s as low-key as it gets in the Bears’ locker room during the best season of his career. Wright has been playing up to his status as the No. 10 pick in the 2023 draft. Pro Football Focus rated him the sixth-best offensive tackle in the NFL — all while playing through an elbow injury — heading into the game against the Giants on Sunday.
“Just trying to get better,” he said.
PFF undoubtedly gave him a high score on his epic block of Bengals rookie Shemar Stewart on a fourth-and-one. Assigned to clear the right side for running back Kyle Monangai, Wright bulldozed Stewart all the way to the left side of the formation before driving him to the ground.
“Just blocking,” he said.
The Bears aren’t so nonchalant. If Wright can be a pillar of their offensive line, that’s a major asset to coach Ben Johnson.
“I call him the unicorn for a reason,” Johnson said. “He does some things that are pretty extraordinary.”
Edwards has surgery
Linebacker T.J. Edwards had surgery to repair a broken hand, but that’s not his biggest issue. He’s out Sunday mainly because of an ongoing hamstring injury.
Johnson said Edwards could play with a cast. The hamstring has been problematic all season, however. This will be the fourth game he misses, but Johnson didn’t anticipate Edwards going on injured reserve.
Kicking conditions
Coming off a game rife with special-teams mistakes by the Bears, the kicking in the Giants game could get wacky. There’s possible snow in the morning, and the forecast is for 36 degrees at kickoff with gusts up to 28 mph.
“I’m comfortable in it,” kicker Cairo Santos said. “It’s perfect that we got two windy days of kicking Wednesday and [Friday], and it’s similar to the Saints game, so it’s something I’m familiar with.”
Additionally, Giants backup Younghoe Koo will kick for veteran Graham Gano, who’s out with a neck injury. Koo went
1-for-3 on field goals with misses from 42 and 50 yards in 2023 in his only game at Soldier Field.
NSFW
Cameras have caught Johnson saying rough stuff over the headset, including appearing to tell someone to ‘’shut the [expletive] up,’’ so how does he avoid being too harsh with his staff?
He doesn’t.
“But those guys are used to me,” he said with a smile. “They know that we’re just trying to win, and that’s the most important thing.”
Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle brushed it aside as a non-issue.
“For somebody in a normal job, that might sound a little different than how you guys would talk, but for us, it’s very normal,” Doyle said. “We just want to make sure . . . everybody’s understanding what needs to get done, and we’re clear about what our expectations are.”
Notes
One hurdle to general manager Ryan Poles’ rebuild was not having the No. 5 overall pick when he took over in 2022 because Ryan Pace packaged it in the deal to draft Justin Fields. The Giants used it on defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, who has 23½ sacks in 52 games.
† Cornerback Josh Blackwell (concussion), defensive end Dominique Robinson (ankle) and wide receiver Jahdae Walker (concussion) are out.
† Wide receivers Luther Burden III (concussion), Rome Odunze (ankle, heel) and DJ Moore (hip, groin), safety Kevin Byard (back, ankle) and tight end Cole Kmet (concussion) will play.
† Four Giants starters are out: cornerback Paulson Adebo (knee), wide receiver Beaux Collins (neck), linebacker Darius Muasau (ankle) and center John Michael Schmitz Jr. (shin).