The Chicago Bears are expecting big things from Darnell Wright entering the 2026 season. Bears offensive line coach Dan Roushar recently said that Wright has an extremely high ceiling and that he still has not fully reached his potential as a player.
The Chicago Bears expect Darnell Wright to take a step in 2026
According to Roushar, the biggest thing holding Wright back at this point is consistency. That assessment makes sense when looking at how Wright’s career has developed so far in the NFL.
Wright came into the league and immediately looked capable of handling a starting role as a rookie, but there were still ups and downs in his play. During his second season, he managed to stay on the field, but he suffered an MCL injury early in the year and did not quite look like the same player afterward.
Last season may have been the best example of his growth. Wright dealt with an elbow injury early in the year but continued to play through it and still produced the most consistent football of his career. That season ended with Wright earning second-team All-Pro honors, which is a major sign of how highly he was viewed around the league.
That is part of why Roushar believes there is still another level for Wright to reach. If he was able to earn All-Pro recognition while dealing with injuries and still developing consistency, the thought is that a healthy version of Wright could become one of the best offensive tackles in football.
The Bears are also counting on that jump happening soon. Wright now enters the season with three full years of starting experience, and the expectation is that he should be entering the prime years of his career. If he is fully healthy, this may be the best opportunity yet for him to put everything together.
Chicago also needs him to become that type of player because there are still questions elsewhere along the offensive line. The Bears lost Ozzy Trapilo after his Achilles injury, and he is not expected to play during the 2026 season.
Center is also still unsettled after the sudden retirement that forced the team into adjusting plans late in the offseason. Garrett Bradbury and rookie Logan Jones are now competing for the starting role, which means there could be inexperience or instability in the middle of the offensive line as well.
The guard spots are steadier with Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson returning, but both players are veteran additions rather than long-term building blocks drafted by the organization.
That is what makes Wright so important to the future of the line. He is younger than the veterans around him, already proven at the NFL level, and still appears to have room to improve.
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