With Darnell Wright nursing a back injury, Matt Eberflus explores alternatives at right tackle

LAKE FOREST – Chicago Bears starting right tackle Darnell Wright sat out practice because of a back injury Wednesday at Halas Hall. Wright has started every game at right tackle since coming to the Bears as a first-round draft pick last year.

For a Bears offensive line that already has faced adversity and criticism early this season, losing Wright this week could be a big blow ahead of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field. Wright was the No. 10 overall draft pick in 2023.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus indicated Wednesday that the Bears have multiple options for filling in at right tackle if Wright is unable to play Sunday.

“During training camp we worked our different options that we have there, and I think it’s important that we utilize that flexibility for some people,” Eberflus said. “Again, without saying too much, obviously, we’re hopeful he comes back, but we’ll work those combinations during practice.”

Wright was far from perfect during the first three games. He gave up a sack on a key fourth-quarter play against the Houston Texans in Week 2, and he has allowed three total sacks in three games, per Pro Football Focus. Even so, he’s the team’s first-round pick from a year ago and will be in the lineup when healthy.

Even before Wright’s injury, the Bears reshuffled the offensive line. Last week against Indianapolis, Eberflus went with backup Matt Pryor ahead of Nate Davis at right guard. Davis was dealing with an injury, but the decision was still likely performance-based. The Bears started Braxton Jones at left tackle, Teven Jenkins at left guard, Coleman Shelton at center, Pryor at right guard and Wright at right tackle.

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“We’re looking for the best five,” Eberflus said Wednesday. “We don’t want musical chairs in there. We’re not at that point. We want guys to solidify themselves in there by their performance and then keep going in terms of the consistency.”

If Wright does miss this week’s game, Eberflus has two options for his right tackle spot. Pryor is versatile and capable of playing guard or tackle. Rookie third-round draft pick Kiran Amegadjie would be the other option. Amegadjie was healthy and dressed in uniform for the first time against the Colts, although he didn’t play.

The Bears tipped their hand last week when Jones, the left tackle, had to leave the game briefly because of injury. With Jones sidelined, the Bears moved Pryor to left tackle and inserted Davis back at right guard. They used that lineup for only one snap before Jones returned to the game.

It’s telling that the Bears trusted the veteran Pryor over Amegadjie, the rookie out of Yale. While the Bears have high aspirations for Amegadjie, he hasn’t played in a football game since facing Dartmouth on Oct. 7 last season. He missed the final six games of his college season because of a quad injury that required surgery. He still was rehabbing the injury this summer.

Amegadjie sat out most of training camp and did not play in any preseason games in August. The adjustment from FCS football to the NFL, especially without the benefit of preseason action, is intense.

“I’m super happy with the challenge of the NFL compared to where I was in the Ivy League,” Amegadjie told the Shaw Local News Network this month. “It’s a faster game. Everybody’s bigger, faster, stronger, so it’s a true adjustment period, but I think I’m getting there. Having 10 months off, it’s not easy to just knock that rust off.”

Having 10 months off, it’s not easy to just knock that rust off.”

—  Kiran Amegadjie, Bears offensive tackle

Amegadjie believes he’s up to speed now, but the Bears still haven’t seen him play in live action.

“He is one of our options,” Eberflus said. “And he’s looked good. He’s continuing to improve.”

Pryor, on the other hand, is a seventh-year veteran with 78 NFL regular season appearances under his belt, including 25 starts. The Bears signed Pryor as a free agent in March. He played in 15 games for the San Francisco 49ers last season. He previously had stints with Philadelphia and Indianapolis.

“Since I came into the league, versatility has been a big foundation in my career,” Pryor said Wednesday. “I take great pride in being able to move around on the O-line.”

As Shelton, the center, put it, Pryor is “as big as a house.” He measures in at 6-foot-7, 332 pounds. He has the size and length to play tackle, although that massive size could be a disadvantage against quicker edge rushers.

For Pryor, the difference between tackle and guard comes down to physics.

“At guard you don’t have as much time for you to figure out what your defender is going to do,” Pryor said. “You’ve kind of got to get on there quicker. As opposed to tackle, where you know you’re sitting a little bit deeper.”

If Wright doesn’t play Sunday, don’t be surprised if Pryor shifts to right tackle and Davis re-enters the lineup at right guard.

“He’s a grinder,” Shelton said of Pryor. “He’s smart and he’s been around the game and he knows what to expect.”