Bears

Chicago Bears sign No. 10 overall draft pick Darnell Wright

Bears announce preseason dates, times

Chicago Bears first-round draft pick offensive lineman Darnell Wright poses with his jersey, Friday, April 28, 2023, at Halas Hall in Lake Forest.

The Bears signed No. 10 overall draft pick Darnell Wright to his rookie contract, the team announced Monday. Wright, an offensive tackle, was one of three draft picks who signed their contracts Monday.

Third-round defensive tackle Zacch Pickens and fourth-round receiver Tyler Scott also signed their rookie deals.

Since 2011, NFL rookies who are selected in the draft are assigned specific wage scales based upon where they were selected in the draft. As the No. 10 overall pick, Wright’s contract is expected to be worth about $20.9 million over four seasons, with the team holding a fifth-year option. Wright’s signing bonus is about $12 million of that $20.9 million total.

The Bears have signed seven of their 10 draft picks. Fifth-round linebacker Noah Sewell, fifth-round cornerback Terell Smith, seventh-round defensive tackle Travis Bell and seventh-round safety Kendall Williamson have already signed contracts.

The three remaining unsigned draft picks are second-round defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, second-round cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and fourth-round running back Roschon Johnson.

Rookie contracts for players selected after the first round are typically four years in length.

Preseason schedule: The Bears announced the dates and times of their three preseason games, two of which will be at Soldier Field. This came several days after the NFL released the regular season schedule.

  • Week 1: Bears vs. Titans, noon, Saturday, Aug. 12
  • Week 2: Bears at Colts, 6 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 19
  • Week 3: Bears vs. Bills, noon, Saturday, Aug. 26

Bill Walsh Fellowship: The Bears are adding two coaches for OTAs this spring through the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.

Eddie George and Randy Shannon will join the club for several weeks this spring. The team will bring in additional fellows during veteran minicamp and training camp.

George, a longtime NFL running back and a former Heisman Trophy winner, is the head coach at Tennessee State. Shannon has coached at both the NFL and college levels, including four seasons as the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes from 2007 to 2010. He is the co-defensive coordinator at Florida State.

Sean Hammond

Sean Hammond

Sean is the Chicago Bears beat reporter for the Shaw Local News Network. He has covered the Bears since 2020. Prior to writing about the Bears, he covered high school sports for the Northwest Herald and contributed to Friday Night Drive. Sean joined Shaw Media in 2016.