Bears Pass On Carter To Add Wright, A Bodyguard For Justin Fields

Ryan Poles had a chance to pull off the daily double of the NFL draft. He could have traded away the No. 1 pick and still wound up with the player who began draft season ranked as the best overall prospect.

But Poles must have had some lingering doubts about Jalen Carter. He knew for sure that Justin Fields needs better protection if he is going to be fairly evaluated as the Chicago Bears’ long-term quarterback.

So when Carter slipped all the way down to the ninth spot — where the Bears landed after trading the first pick to Carolina — Poles shrugged and moved down more spot in the first round on Thursday night. That allowed Philadelphia to take Carter while opening the door for the Bears to take the second offensive tackle off the board, Tennessee’s Darnell Wright.

Wright always appeared in the mix to be the Bears’ first choice, along with Carter and a handful of other offensive linemen, including Northwestern’s
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Peter Skoronski. But few seemed to know for sure what Poles would do until he made the pick.

It’s fitting that the second-year general manager added one more draft pick — a fourth-rounder in 2024 — after adding receiver D.J. Moore and three extra picks when he sent the first pick to Carolina, handing the Panthers the right to draft Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young. He turned six picks into 11 with a series of four trades on the third day of last year’s draft, and has put the Bears into good shape for next year’s draft.

But make no doubt about Poles’ top priority: That’s improving the offense around Fields, who has been electrifying moving the ball on the ground but remains unproven as a passer. He was sacked an NFL-high 55 times during the 3-14 season that yielded the top overall pick but the Bears have already added one starter through free agency.

Tennessee guard Nate Davis signed for $30 million over three years — one of a series of moves Poles has made to help give Fields a fighting chance for his third NFL season. The Bears traded for Pittsburgh wide receiver Chase Claypool at the trade deadline a year ago and, more notably, pulled the trigger on the Carolina trade when the Panthers included Moore, a five-year veteran at age 26 who has three 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

Wright, a physical specimen at 6-5, 333 pounds, was a four-year starter at Tennessee. He started 27 games at right tackle — including his impressive senior season — and 13 at left tackle while compiling 2,746 career snaps. ESPN’s Louis Riddick terms him a “plug and play” starter.

Wright should step into a starting tackle spot opposite Braxton Jones. That would allow Teven Jenkins to remain at guard. He received an 80.7 grade there from Pro Football Focus, ranking behind only Atlanta’s Chris Windstorm and Cleveland’s Joel Bitonio. The Bears could play veteran Cody Whitehair at center or use a pick in the second or third rounds to add a player capable of starting in the overhauled line.

Having passed on Carter, the Bears will likely focus on the defensive side of the ball when the draft resumes on Friday night. Three defensive players — Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson (Houston, third pick), Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon (Seattle, fifth pick) and Texas Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson were off the board when the Bears agreed to the Carter trade.

The Bears’ defense needs as much help as their offense. But when next season begins the focus will be on whether Wright is the right piece to help Fields find the comfort zone as a drop-back passer that helped set him apart while leading Ohio State to the NCAA playoffs.

He’d better be good to keep Chicago fans from wondering how much of a difference Carter could have made.