Illness sidelines Bears' RT Darnell Wright. His absence jeopardizes the offensive line against the 49ers as the team scrambles with roster moves.
The Chicago Bears had to make a last-second addition to their roster after some troubling news about right tackle Darnell Wright.
Wright has been dealing with an illness and didn't travel with the team to Santa Clara to take on the San Francisco 49ers, putting his status for Sunday in jeopardy. The offensive tackle was added to the injury report on Saturday after the update from the team.
Something has been going around at the Bears' facility. Multiple players appeared on the injury report with an illness on Friday. Defensive back Josh Blackwell, cornerback Nahshon Wright, linebacker D'Marco Jackson, and returner Devin Duvernay were among those affected.
Blackwell and Wright were questionable, while Jackson and Duvernay didn't carry any injury designations.
In response to the recent development involving their right tackle, the Bears activated rookie offensive lineman Luke Newman and waived defensive lineman Jonathan Ford. The team also elevated defensive back Dallis Flowers and receiver J.P. Richardson from the practice squad.
Wright's official status for the game is questionable.
Newman has been dealing with a foot injury since Week 12. He was drafted out of Michigan State in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He's been a reserve offensive lineman this season, playing in nine games with zero starts.
Losing Wright would be a big blow to the Bears' offensive line. He has only missed one game this season and could potentially miss Sunday night's game against the San Francisco 49ers. Wright has started every game he's played in this season.
The good news for the offensive line is that the 49ers will be without pass rusher Nick Bosa, who is on the IR with an ACL tear.
Flowers has played in one game for Chicago in 2025, suiting up in the 31-14 win over the Dallas Cowboys earlier in the year. This is his first year with the franchise after spending the last four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.
Richardson's elevation may be related to the absence of Rome Odunze. The Bears are getting Luther Burden III back, but Odunze is going to be out again with a foot injury. Richardson is set to play in his first NFL game after being signed as an undrafted free agent from TCU.
The matchup with the 49ers has some playoff implications. The Bears need to win out and hope for a Seattle Seahawks loss in the final two weeks to claim the No. 1 seed in the conference.
Hopefully Wright will be able to play before kickoff. The game is set to start at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC and Peacock.