3 Most Disappointing Bears Despite 4-2 Start
1. Darnell Wright, RT
The Bears drafted right tackle Darnell Wright with the 10th pick in the 2023 NFL draft to be their right tackle for the next decade. Although Wright had a rough first half of his rookie season, he looked to be getting his feet under him during the second half of 2023.
According to PFF, Wright allowed seven sacks, three QB hits, 51 QB pressures, and 11 penalties as a rookie. Wright's play as a rookie earned him a 62.4 overall grade with a 61.4 in pass blocking and a 66.0 in run blocking from PFF. While that's not terrible play from a rookie, there was definitely room for improvement, which is what everyone was expecting going into the season.
Unfortunately, Wright's start to the season hasn't been great. Throughout the first three games of the season, Wright allowed three sacks, three QB hurries, and nine QB pressures. Along with allowing pressure on pass plays, Wright also seemed to struggle a bit as a run blocker.
His worst performance was against the Houston Texans when he allowed two sacks, three QB hurries, and five QB pressures.
#Bears RT Darnell Wright played looked really good through the first half of Sunday Night Football. He put together a handful of dominant reps and was doing a good job containing Will Anderson. There were a few losses in the first half, but he was winning the majority of reps.… pic.twitter.com/zYbai2GYK3
— Quinten Krzysko (@ButkusStats) September 17, 2024
Over the past three weeks, Wright has only allowed one sack, three QB hurries, and four QB pressures. Wright's run blocking has also looked better than it did the first three weeks of the season.
#Bears RT Darnell Wright looked like he had some extra burst against the Jaguars in London. He was a key part of the Bears run game, but did have some issues handling Travon Walker's extreme length.
— Quinten Krzysko (@ButkusStats) October 14, 2024
In pass protection, Wright had his share of both good and bad reps. The good… pic.twitter.com/xpagW4OZS4
It should be noted that Wright popped up on the injury report with a back problem in Week 4. Although the back injury was reported in Week 4, Wright could have been affected by it in weeks prior.
Overall, while Wright didn't start the season great, he has played well the past three weeks. If Wright continues to play well, then his disappointing start to the season will be forgotten.