The Chicago Bears were seeing good progress in Organized Team Activities. Head coach Ben Johnson and his staff were grinding players every day, making sure they’re always on top of details and never cutting corners. It was intense. The hard work was ceaseless. Not that players were complaining. They understood this is something that needs to happen if they want to win. However, it appears Johnson felt some levity was needed on Thursday for the final practice involving veterans. So the team ran passing drills, but with a twist. While wide receivers threw the passes, quarterbacks and offensive linemen ran the routes and caught them. Caleb Williams and Joe Thuney had some nice moments. The play of the day, though, belonged to Darnell Wright.
It has always been known that the former 1st round pick is a good athlete. Most assumed that meant as an offensive tackle. No. Apparently, he’s just a good athlete, period. That was on display when the 6’5, 330-lb lineman made a back shoulder one-handed catch that would’ve made Odell Beckham proud. The reaction from onlookers was exactly what you’d expect.
Even better was Johnson’s reaction when asked if he saw the play. Seeing the excitement and joy on the head coach’s face wasn’t hard.
One thing about Johnson during his time in Detroit was his love for gadget plays. He’d deliver at least one almost every week when the situation called for it. One of his favorites was dialing up a pass to an offensive lineman. Penei Sewell caught a touchdown in 2022. Dan Skipper caught a four-yard pass in 2023. Last year, Skipper caught a touchdown, and Taylor Decker was targeted on another play. There is no question after seeing that catch, Johnson is already brainstorming possible plays for Darnell Wright. At some point, when the Bears are inside the 10-yard line and the running game is going well, he will call a crafty play-action fake that has Wright slipping into the flat. When it happens, fans can remember this play as the genesis of it.
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