The Chicago Bears finished their 2025 season with an 11-6 record, winning the NFC North title and earning their first playoff win in 15 years under first-year head coach Ben Johnson. There is no denying that the future is extremely bright.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be counting down the 15 most impactful Bears of the 2025 season, including many of the young talents who contributed greatly to Chicago’s magical season. We’ll look back at their 2025 seasons and look ahead to how they impact 2026. There is a lot of top talent to watch this season, which makes for tough decisions when narrowing the roster down to just 15 players and/or coaches.
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The No. 6 pick is tackle Darnell Wright, who has risen to the challenge of the new coaching staff and emerged as an All-Pro protector on the offensive line in his third year.
basic knowledge
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Location: offensive tackle
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2025 cap hits: $5.7 million
Most Impactful Bear of 2025: Darnell Wright
2025 Statistics
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Allowed 3 sacks, 3 hits, 19 pressures, 11 penalties
2025 review
Entering the 2025 season, Darnell Wright has become the best right tackle in the league. He’s been a staple on the right side of the offensive line since his rookie season while working with different backs around him, from Tevin Jenkins to Nate Davis. Wright is good, but he’s still looking to fulfill his potential as a great tackle. In his third season, that’s finally happening under new offensive line coach Dan Rushar and veteran linebacker Jonah Jackson. Wright is having the best season of his career and becoming the franchise tackle the Bears envisioned they would be when they drafted him with the No. 10 overall pick in 2023. He and Jackson formed a lethal blocking duo, especially in the run game. Wright has turned into a monster, bullying defenders off the ball and playing with an attitude we’ve never seen before. In pass protection, Wright allowed just three sacks and three hits in 638 pass-blocking snaps. For his efforts, Wright was named second-team All-Pro at the position.
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Outlook 2026
Entering the 2026 season, Wright is eligible for an extension — a Bears first-round pick hasn’t done so since Kyler Fuller in 2018 — and that could happen sooner rather than later. At the very least, the Bears are expected to pick up his fifth-year option, ensuring Wright is under contract through the 2027 season. At some point, though, the Bears are committed to Wright long-term now that he’s become one of the best right tackles in the NFL. Playing alongside Jackson over the next year or two should keep the right side of the offensive line strong. Barring something unexpected, Wright will be a cog for the Bears for a long time, protecting Caleb Williams in the pocket and creating routes for the running backs.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: The Most Influential Bears of 2025: No. 6 Darnell Wright
