Bears tackle Darnell Wright just set the tone for what could be a remarkable rookie campaign, as a relatable accident has suddenly given him a fierce edge compared to his peers.
Everyone knows about NFL teams’ rigorous offseason conditioning workouts. Some athletes, like Rob Gronkowski, look for ways to cheat the system — two offseasons ago, Gronk became infamously known for changing shirts during a single workout to make it appear like he was running every day.
Other athletes, like Chicago Bears offensive tackle Darnell Wright, had the best of intentions but unfortunate execution. His wee reading error may have just turned him into the Incredible Hulk.
This summer, Wright, the Bears’ 10th overall pick of the 2023 draft, did his homework a little too well. Wright apparently trained for his team’s conditioning test by taking the wide receivers’ version; basically, he set his athletic goals as whatever Bears’ wide receivers were supposed to achieve in sprints, endurance, etc.
To everyone’s surprise, Wright “crushed” the conditioning test in training camp according to Bears general manager Ryan Poles. Wright only noticed his mistake after the fact — an honest mistake that turned into Wright potentially being in the best shape of his life.
Bears rookie tackle Darnell Wright is in the best shape of his life
During the pre-draft process, Wright struggled with maintaining his body weight, coming in at 333 pounds at this year’s scouting combine. The Tennessee product no doubt lost several pounds of fat while doing the wide receivers’ portion of the test, which is pretty insane if you think about it.
A 6-foot-5, 300-plus pound offensive lineman meeting the same testing standard expected for wide receivers who were much lighter and sprier than he was? We can only imagine Wright fighting for his life out on the field, once or twice wondering why the sprint times were so fast but managing to reach that benchmark anyway.
Wright’s gaffe only puts him a step ahead of his peers and helps him develop into a superior right-side blocker for Justin Fields come September.
Obviously, wide receiver traits and offensive lineman traits don’t tend to overlap, but now, Wright will gain an advantage by being just a touch quicker and a tad more explosive on the line, coupling his newfound speed and stamina with his elite blocking moves.
His opponents have been warned.