The Chicago Bears have received an encouraging new update about All-Pro right tackle Darnell Wright following an injury scare that forced him out of practice.
According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Wright exited just two plays into red-zone drills during August 25’s training camp practice and had trainers examining his right elbow on the sideline before walking off into the Bears’ team facility with an apparent injury.
What enflamed concerns about Wright was that his injury appeared to be impacting his right elbow, the same one that sustained a torn UCL in Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season.
Cronin, however, provided good news about the incident before August 26’s practice.
“The Bears have a light practice at 11 a.m. before they’ll fly to Tennessee for a joint practice with the Titans on Thursday,” Cronin wrote Wednesday on X. “I’m told that Darnell Wright is ‘fine’ after leaving practice early yesterday with what looked like an elbow injury. We’ll see if he’s out there today.”
Darnell Wright Played Through Elbow Injury in 2025
Wright’s apparent elbow injury in practice warranted some concern, especially after the Bears signed him to a four-year, $114 million contract extension at the start of August.
One thing to remember about Wright, though: He has already toughed it out through one elbow injury for the Bears without letting the issue impact his overall performance.
Wright tore the UCL in his right elbow in Week 3’s win over the Dallas Cowboys during the 2025 season and was inactive in the following week’s game as a result of his injury, but it did not keep him sidelined for long. Rather than undergo surgery, Wright opted to play through the injury with a protective elbow brace and didn’t miss another game.
The results spoke for themselves, as Wright provided a reliable anchor for the right side of the Bears’ offensive line and helped fuel their third-ranked rushing game with his top-notch run blocking. He also allowed just three sacks and 19 pressures over his 638 total pass-blocking snaps, earning his second-team All-Pro honors for the first time.
That’s not to say that a new elbow injury would not create problems for Wright, but he at least has an established history of toughing through his injuries to stay on the field.
Bears Cannot Afford to Lose Darnell Wright to Injury
The Bears seem to have caught a break after Wright’s injury scare, which is great news considering that their backup plans at right tackle are … questionable at best right now.
Chicago is already navigating an uncertain situation at left tackle to start the 2026 NFL season with Ozzy Trapilo — its 2025 blindside starter — still working his way back from a ruptured patellar tendon that he sustained in January’s playoff win over Green Bay.
While Trapilo came off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list last week and is back at practice again, the Bears will likely need time to ramp him up before dropping him back into their lineup, leaving them to sort through four other candidates — Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet, Jedrick Wills Jr. and Kiran Amegadjie — for the Week 1 job.
The Bears should have a plan in place at left tackle before making their initial 53-man roster cuts next weekend, but that task would only get more difficult if they needed to find a replacement — even a temporary one — for Wright on the right side of their line.
Chicago Bears Receive New Darnell Wright Update Amid Injury Concerns