The Chicago Bears have let Darnell Wright’s situation linger through the offseason, but his ranking among ESPN’s list of top-10 offensive linemen is a reminder that his payday is coming.
It was also a reminder that several of his draft classmates are facing far less certain futures.
Along with Wright, the Bears have decisions to make on six players from their 10-selection haul, though four of their picks have already moved on. That is a noteworthy backdrop as Wright, Gervon Dexter Sr., and Tyrique Stevenson stand out among those still in limbo.
Bulk of Bears’ 2023 Draft Class in Limbo Before Training Camp
Darnell Wright Only Certainty for Bears’ ‘23 Draft Class
Wright was the Bears’ first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, with Dexter and Stevenson taken in succession behind him. The Bears used picks Nos. 9, 53 and 56, respectively, to add the trio, but only Wright appears to be even a near-lock for another contract.
Like with quarterback Caleb Williams, Bears general manager Ryan Poles has acknowledged getting to work on an extension for Wright.
There have been no such claims or even speculation about Dexter and Stevenson.
Both players are projected as starters this season, which would mark a return for Stevenson after he lost out on a starting spot to Nahshon Wright last season. Wright signed with the New York Jets in free agency. The Bears did not add anyone that figures to challenge either Dexter or Stevenson in the same way this season.
Still, the silence around them could prove telling. Former Bears safety Jaquan Brisker entered a contract year in 2025 amid similar silence.
Brisker signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency this offseason.
Both he and Wright signed short-term deals, seemingly speaking volumes about the Bears’ willingness to let them leave and how other teams around the league view what the group was able to do in 2025, leading the league in turnovers but also struggling to stop the run or pass.
The rest of the Bears 2023 draft class who are still with the team–Roschon Johnson, Noah Sewell, and Terell Smith–are in even more precarious situations heading into the 2026 season.
Bears’ Veterans Under the Microscope
It is not just the Bears players on expiring contracts who will be under the microscope in 2026, either, with several more veteran players also in the final year of their respective contracts heading into training camp.
Starting running back D’Andre Swift is coming off a career year, but is in that group, as is 2026 offseason trade pickup and presumed starting center Garrett Bradbury.
That is to say nothing of the host of players who will be in contract years in 2027.
Starters like Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and T.J. Edwards are coming off injury-marred campaigns in 2025, while the Bears could look at the futures of Cole Kmet, Dayo Odeyingbo, Grady Jarrett, Jonah Jackson, and Montez Sweat then, too, all for different reasons.
Poles has not shied away from making difficult roster decisions during his tenure, and he certainly has several coming up soon enough.
Leave a Reply