Darnell Wright makes it look easy, and it’s hard to imagine this now that he’s one of the NFL’s best right tackles, but not that long ago he ran into something he couldn’t handle.
Early in his rookie season with the Bears in 2023, Wright wasn’t ready for Montez Sweat, then with the Commanders. On the Bears’ opening possession, Sweat went straight at Wright, pushed him back a step, then raced past him to take down Justin Fields.
Sweat was overwhelming. Little did Wright know, he’d soon become a daily problem for him.
A month later, with Wright still smarting from that sack, the Bears traded a second-round pick for Sweat and began a yearslong battle on the practice field. Those two go against each other on nearly every rep, and it took a while, but it tilted from Sweat kicking Wright’s butt to him admitting that Wright currently has his number.
“He’s made me tremendously better,” Wright told the Sun-Times. “He’s the perfect body style for a player I want to go against: long and lanky. That’s the kind of guy I’ll struggle with sometimes.
“He has everything. He’s my litmus test for a lot of things. Going up against him gets me prepared to face elite guys.”
Their matchups have become must-watch in practice, and linebacker T.J. Edwards called it a collision of “two freaks of nature” with Wright standing 6-foot-5, 325 pounds and the ultra-athletic Sweat attacking him full-force at 6-foot-6, 270.
Neither is much of a talker, especially Wright, so their battles are quiet aside from the crash of pads and some grunting, but they’ll have a significant say in how far the Bears go.
Wright is essential to protecting quarterback Caleb Williams and powering what coach Ben Johnson has called a “righthanded offense” because that side of the line with Wright and guard Jonah Jackson is so strong. He called Wright “a luxury” who can “carry the load” in the running game if needed. Sweat is coming off what Johnson thought was his best season and is by far the most firepower the Bears have in their pass rush.
Between the two, the Bears have invested nearly a quarter of a billion dollars, with Wright fresh off signing a $116 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid right tackle of all time.
They’ve gotten a good return on each of them. Wright allowed just three sacks last season, while Sweat has had 21 1/2 sacks in 42 games and been very good against the run. The Bears need both to be elite this season as they rework their offensive line and hope something finally sparks their pass rush.
Sweat has felt their competition shifting over the years. He described the rookie version of Wright as an impressive, but unrefined talent who still had a lot to learn about dealing with standout pass rushers.
It evened out, in his view, last season as their reps became “hit for hit,” and Wright was good enough to earn a second-team All-Pro selection. He made things much easier for Williams with a 95.2% win rate on pass blocks, fourth in the NFL.
That still wasn’t the best Wright could do.
“This year I just see a huge jump in his technique,” Sweat marveled.
That put Wright on top.
“I don’t think I’ve beaten him in a one-on-one rep yet,” Sweat said of this training camp. “It started off with me making him better, but now I think it’s the other way around.”
Wright pushed back on that.
“He’s probably putting a little extra on there,” he said with a smile. “He’s definitely won some reps against me.”
That humility is part of the charm with Wright. It’s genuine from someone who has never appeared to seek the spotlight.
When the Bears drafted Wright 10th overall, he bypassed attending the draft and walking on stage in favor of enjoying it with family and friends. He’s friendly and available to reporters, but never eager.
He seemed reluctant a few weeks ago to do a news conference about his new nine-figure deal. Some players wear suits and bring their families to such an occasion. Wright came in after practice wearing a gray Bears workout shirt, thanked Jesus, said the money “doesn’t get me into Heaven” and went through a list of coaches and other people who helped him get here.
That’s largely how he approaches his job, too. Even after Sweat himself said it, Wright didn’t believe he had taken over their rivalry.
“You never think you’ve caught up or you’ve gotten where you need to be,” he said. “There’s always good reps and bad reps. I don’t keep count. Just trying my best.”
The Bears can’t wait to see how good Wright’s best ultimately is. He just turned 25, is only beginning his prime and is under contract through 2031. He should be a pillar of their future, and they can thank Sweat for pushing him to the next level.