It’s hard to imagine this now that Darnell Wright is one of the NFL’s best right tackles, making it all look so easy, but not that long ago, he ran into something he couldn’t handle.
Early in his rookie season with the Bears in 2023, he wasn’t ready for defensive end Montez Sweat, then with the Commanders. On the Bears’ opening possession in Week 5, Sweat went straight at Wright, pushed him back a step, then raced past him to take down quarterback 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 the sack, the Bears traded a second-round pick for Sweat, starting a yearslong battle on the practice field. The two go against each other on nearly every rep.
It took awhile, but the balance has tilted from Sweat kicking Wright’s butt to admitting Wright has his number at the moment.
“[Sweat has] 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. Linebacker T.J. Edwards called it a collision of “two freaks of nature,” with Wright coming in at 6-5, 325 pounds and the ultra-athletic Sweat attacking him full-force at 6-6, 270.
Neither player is much of a talker, especially Wright, so their battles are quiet aside from the crash of pads and some grunting. No matter, 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 “right-handed offense” because that side of the line with Wright and guard Jonah Jackson is so strong. Johnson called Wright “a luxury” who can carry the load in the running game if needed. Sweat, meanwhile, is coming off his best season, in Johnson’s estimation, and brings by far the most firepower in the Bears’ 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.
The return on each of them has been good. Wright allowed just three sacks last season, while Sweat has 21½ sacks in 42 games with the Bears, including strong play against the run. The Bears need both of them at the top of their game this season as they rework their offensive line and look to finally spark their pass rush.
Sweat has felt the competition with Wright 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 against each other became “hit for hit.” Wright was good enough to earn a second-team All-Pro selection, making 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 improvement has 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 Wright’s charm — a genuine response from someone who never appears to seek the spotlight. For the 2023 draft, in which the Bears drafted him 10th overall, he passed on attending the event in Kansas City and walking on stage in favor of enjoying the occasion with family and friends. He’s friendly and available to reporters but never eager.
A few weeks ago, he seemed reluctant to do a news conference about his new nine-figure deal. Some players wear suits and bring their families to such gatherings. Wright came in after practice wearing a gray Bears workout shirt, said the money “doesn’t get me into heaven” and went through a list of coaches and others who helped him get to this point.
That’s largely how he approaches his job, too. Even after Sweat himself said it, Wright doesn’t believe he’s 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 his best is. He just turned 25 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.