Darnell Wright To Left Tackle? Bears Insider Provides Telling Update

The Chicago Bears finally benched Braxton Jones. It was something we'd felt might be coming for some time. While head coach Ben Johnson said the team loved some of the things he could do, his inconsistency over the past month finally led to a change. During the win over Las Vegas, Theo Benedet was moved into the left tackle spot while rookie Ozzy Trapilo took over at right tackle. It was enough to pull out the victory. However, it left the primary question unanswered. With Jones likely done, who will take over in the long term? Some wonder if Darnell Wright is destined for that job.

The former 1st round pick is the Bears' best tackle. While he has played his entire career on the right side, he has the size and athleticism to make the switch. The belief is he could take over at left tackle, opening the door for Trapilo to play his natural spot at right. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune was asked about this. He stated that while the Bears have considered this possibility, it isn't something they're comfortable tinkering with. Not in the middle of the season, anyway.

Switching Wright to the left side is something the Bears mulled publicly before the start of the offseason program. Then, we never saw him there. Jones, Trapilo, Kiran Amegadjie and finally Benedet all took turns at left tackle over the summer. That clearly told us the team’s preference was to keep Wright at right tackle...

...Asking him to switch sides in the middle of the season and coming off an injury probably isn’t Plan A at Halas Hall. Instinct tells me Benedet, who played left tackle when Jones was removed from the game against the Raiders in the second quarter, will get the next shot at the job.

Could Wright be a consideration before the end of the season? Anything is possible, but if the Bears really liked this option, they probably would have been more proactive in the offseason when four other players got a shot on the left side.

This decision with Darnell Wright is the most logical one.

The thing to remember here is that if the Bears were to move him over, they wouldn't just be changing the left tackle. They'd be changing the left and right tackle. Doing that in the middle of a season can be jarring for a unit that depends heavily on continuity. Keeping Darnell Wright at right tackle while simply switching Jones with Benedet is the most sensible course of action. The second-year blocker looked solid at the job last week and has shown lots of promise despite misgivings about his shorter arms. If things don't pan out as hoped, the Bears may revisit the idea with Wright at a later date. Barring that, it could be their solution next offseason when they have time to implement the plan fully, presuming they don't aim to just draft a left tackle in the 1st round next year.