At the very end of Bears tight end Colston Loveland’s winning touchdown catch against the Bengals, an equally impressive maneuver took place as 6-foot-5, 325-pound right tackle Darnell Wright’s joy propelled him into a celebratory cartwheel as he ran down the field for the point-after.
“Just happy we scored,” he said.
That’s Wright’s response to just about anything. He’s as calm as it gets in the Bears’ locker room amid the best season of his career. He has been playing up to his status as the No. 10 pick in the 2023 draft, and Pro Football Focus rated him the sixth-best 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 grade on his epic block of Bengals rookie Shemar Stewart on a fourth-and-one play last week. Tasked with clearing the right side for running back Kyle Monangai, Wright went above and beyond and bulldozed Stewart all the way to the left side of the formation before driving him to the ground.
“Just blocking,” Wright said.
The Bears aren’t so nonchalant about it. Wright’s arrival is enormous for their future and could be a big win for general manager Ryan Poles after taking hits the last two years for passing on defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who went to the Eagles.
And if Wright proves to be a pillar of their offensive line for years to come, that’s a big boost to new coach Ben Johnson as he tries to get his offense rolling.
“I call him the unicorn for a reason: He does some things that are pretty extraordinary,” Johnson said. “I’m just really proud of how consistent he’s been from the start of the season.”