Bears Pick Darnell Wright Earns High Grade from Fans as Justin Fields Gets OL Help

Justin Fields is the future for the Chicago Bears, and they gave him some protection Thursday.

Chicago traded down from No. 9 to No. 10 in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft and used its new pick to select Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright. He figures to immediately compete for a starting role as the Bears look to keep Fields upright and make strides in the quarterback's third season.

Twitter praised the NFC North club for keeping its signal-caller in mind:

Fields was sacked 55 times last season. It was imperative for the Bears to improve along the offensive line this offseason, and Wright helps them do just that.

They already addressed the wide receiver need when they landed D.J. Moore in the trade that sent the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers. That put more of an onus on the offensive line heading into the draft, and general manager Ryan Poles wasted no time bolstering the position.

That is welcome news for Fields, who took tremendous strides from his first to second seasons but was forced to scramble out of the pocket far too often because of lackluster play in front of him.

Shoring up that protection will allow him more time in the pocket, which should lead to more development as a passer as he further steps into the franchise quarterback role the team has long been seeking.

The task is clear for Wright, and he could start right away.