Arguably, the biggest difference this season for the resurgent Chicago Bears is the play of their offensive line. A slew of veteran outside additions has helped solidify the unit, but there’s one young, ascending player who has caught the eye of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin ahead of the team’s matchup with Chicago this week.
“The thing that I’ve been most impressed by is the improvement in [Darnell] Wright, their right tackle. They drafted him a couple of years ago from the University of Tennessee. Man, he is a talented and dynamic guy,” Tomlin said to Bob Pompeani ahead of the Week 12 game via Steelers.com.
Wright’s not unfamiliar to Tomlin and the Steelers. The team hosted him for a pre-draft visit ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft and was linked to him as a potential target, but he was off the board by the time the Steelers traded up to select Broderick Jones.
In the offseason, the Bears made a commitment to improving their offensive line, a unit that allowed QB Caleb Williams to be sacked 68 times as a rookie in 2024, by bringing in veteran guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and center Drew Dalman. It’s the third-year incumbent Wright, however, that seems to have caught Tomlin’s eye as the Steelers prepare their game plan for Chicago.
The Bears drafted Wright with the 10th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and he immediately made an impact, starting all 17 games as a rookie and was named to the PWFA All-Rookie Team. Wright has only missed two games in his career, including Week 4 of this season, but otherwise has remained a steady presence on the Bears’ much-improved offensive line.
“They pull their tackles quite a bit in some of their perimeter runs. And so you see the talent and the pedigree of those men,” Tomlin continued. “As we talked about earlier, a major component of keeping Caleb [Williams] clean is being on schedule and having a run game commitment that they have.
The Bears’ investment in the offensive line is starting to pay dividends this season under new head coach Ben Johnson. Caleb Williams has been sacked only 16 times in 10 games, and Chicago is averaging 146.6 rushing yards per game, good for second in the NFL.
“They’re always in manageable possession down plays. It doesn’t allow you to pin your ears back and tee off. I think they’re fourth in the league in terms of sacks given up. And it also speaks to the circumstances that they’re in as well as the people,” Tomlin said.
The Bears seem to have realized the impact that a capable offensive line and a strong running game can have on a young quarterback. Young, dynamic players like Darnell Wright will play a big role in Chicago’s continued development as a contender. This week’s matchup against Pittsburgh, and specifically T.J. Watt, will prove to be a big test.
The Steelers know that stopping the run and generating pressure on Caleb Williams will be the key to slowing down the Bears’ offense. Darnell Wright and the rest of the Bears’ offensive line will play a big role in Chicago’s counter to that effort on Sunday.
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