Top 25 most important Bears in 2023: No. 10 Darnell Wright

Shaw Local is counting down the top 25 most important Bears for the 2023 season.

What makes one player more important than another? That’s subjective, of course. But for our purposes it comes down to this: Are the Bears worse off if this player can’t play? Does this player have untapped potential or past greatness to live up to? Is his story going to be one fans follow closely this season?

The best player on the team isn’t always the most important, but he certainly can be. We will announce one player every day between now and the start of training camp.

No. 10 Darnell Wright

Position: Right tackle

NFL experience: Rookie

Last year’s ranking: N/A

Looking back: The Bears went into last season with zero answers as to what the offensive line might look like in 2022. In head coach Matt Eberflus’ first season, all five offensive line starting positions were up for grabs. Rookie Braxton Jones turned out to be a revelation at left tackle, where he started all 17 games. But things were much less certain on the other side at right tackle. Second-year pro Larry Borom started the first seven games before a concussion knocked him out of the lineup for two weeks. When Borom returned, veteran Riley Reiff had stolen his job. Reiff started the final 10 games at right tackle.

The right tackle position clearly needed an upgrade this offseason. Reiff walked away in free agency, signing with New England. The Bears made the position a priority when they drafted Tennessee right tackle Darnell Wright with the No. 10 overall pick. Wright had been a unanimous first-team All-SEC performer last season for the Vols. He didn’t allow a sack at all in 2022.

Looking forward: With Wright, the Bears hope they have a right tackle who will be in their lineup for a long time to come. At 6-foot-6, 335 pounds, Wright has tremendous size, but he also can move for his size. Paired with Jones on the left side, the Bears have two young, cost-controlled tackles under contract for the next few seasons. If they prove to be as good as the Bears hope, that will allow general manager Ryan Poles to spend money in other areas.

Wright has good athleticism for his size, but the Bears are already working to get him into even better shape. Linemen in coordinator Luke Getsy’s offense need to be able to move laterally with speed. Conditioning is extremely important for the big fellas. Wright measured in at 335 pounds this spring, but don’t be surprised if he plays a little bit lighter come the fall. Wright was an elite pass blocker in college and he has the potential to be dominant in the run game, too. The biggest question mark with him is how quickly will he adjust to the NFL game? If he can hit the ground running as a rookie, the Bears should feel great about where the offensive line is at.

In case you missed it: Previous installments of the top 25

• No. 25: Robert Tonyan
• No. 24: Roschon Johnson
• No. 23: Cody Whitehair
• No. 22: Velus Jones Jr.
• No. 21: Jack Sanborn
• No. 20: Teven Jenkins
• No. 19: DeMarcus Walker
• No. 18: Gervon Dexter
• No. 17: Dominique Robinson
• No. 16: Kyler Gordon
• No. 15: D’Onta Foreman
• No. 14: Tyrique Stevenson
• No. 13: Jaquan Brisker
• No. 12: T.J. Edwards
• No. 11: Khalil Herbert