Bears' Darnell Wright was among the NFL's best right tackles in 2024

There were very few bright spots for the Chicago Bears in a much disappointing and underwhelming season, even less spots to praise for the play of the offensive line.

After allowing 68 sacks on rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, with blame being placed equally and deservingly on both sides, the Bears offensive line is a big area of focus to improve in the upcoming offseason. With all the questions surrounding their offensive line, there's one spot that won't need any replacement, because there's not that many better at right tackle than Darnell Wright.

Wright, who was taken with the 10th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, has been a mainstay at right tackle and was the only starting offensive lineman from the beginning of the season to play in the Week 18 win over the Packers. At the conclusion of the season, Wright found himself in elite company, grading as the fifth-best right tackle in the entire NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, with a 79.3 grade.

With all the questions surrounding the talent and stability of the Bears offensive line, there is little to no room to question Wright's talent and play. The only right tackles who graded higher are Green Bay's Zach Tom (87.6), Detroit's Penei Sewell (87.5), Philadelphia's Lane Johnson (85.4) and Minnesota's Brian O'Neill (80.8).

Based on PFF metrics and their grading system, here is how Wright graded along with his stats for the 2024 season.

• Overall grade: 79.3

• Pass blocking grade: 75.4

• Run blocking grade: 82.2

• Snaps played: 1021

• Penalties: 8

• Sacks allowed: 6

While there is certainly a desire to cut the penalty and sack numbers down, Wright still ranked as a top-five right tackle for the Bears this season. Back in 2023, general manager Ryan Poles received heavy criticism for trading back from the ninth overall pick to the 10 overall pick in order to select Wright, bypassing defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who has become a stud with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Just two years later, it's obvious that this selection wasn't a bad one, and at least one anchor on the offensive line is set.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears' Darnell Wright was among the NFL's best right tackles in 2024