Alex Wright Can Use Brian O’Neill As A Career Launching Pad
Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Alex Wright has been a bit of a forgotten part of the Cleveland Browns defense, but Brian O’Neill and the Minnesota Vikings are giving him a chance to put him on the map. The Vikings and Browns are participating in joint practices, and one of the big storylines to watch from the Browns’ perspective is if Wright can show well against O’Neill.
With Christian Darrisaw getting all the attention (and money) from the Vikings offensive line, O’Neill is often overlooked, but he is quietly one of the best right tackles in all of football. O’Neill dealt with some injuries last season, but that didn’t stop him from finishing in the top-25 in both pass and run blocking grades, according to Pro Football Focus. He was also just one of 15 tackles to finish with 70-plus grades in both categories.
Preseason games during this era of the NFL usually don’t feature a ton of playing time for starters, which means players like O’Neill are often standing in street clothes on the sideline, but the same can’t be said for joint practices. Those practices are when starters typically get their reps against other starters. A couple of weeks ago, it looked like O’Neill would be lined up against his former teammate, Za’Darius Smith, but Smith is dealing with a knee contusion, which means he will be the one watching from the sideline in street clothes.
In steps Wright, a third-round pick from 2022 who has been largely forgotten. When he was drafted, he was looked at as a development piece, but injuries forced Wright into action as a rookie. Some players go into that spot and thrive, but Wright wasn’t quite ready for the big stage yet and had some struggles. Before Week 15 of last season, Wright had only one career sack, and it looked like the former development piece was going to be buried on the depth chart forever. Against the Chicago Bears, though, Wright picked up his second career sack, and that led to some success late in the season.
The offseason turned out to be just enough time to forget Wright all over again, but that could all change this week. Wright is listed as the starter at defensive end, opposite of Myles Garrett. Garrett will go against the $104 million man, Darrisaw, and Wright will get the reps against O’Neill. While the Garrett vs. Darrisaw matchup is the headliner, Kevin Stefanski will have his eye on Wright vs. O’Neill.
Stefanski said earlier in the week that he was incredibly excited about the one-on-one drills that joint practices will offer the Browns.
“Well, the game’s on the schedule, so we got to play the game and then we like to bring the team in here for a couple days and get good work at those drills like we talked about. We’ll be able to do one-on-one drills, we’ll be able to do the kickoff drill. Those type of things that allow you to do it in a controlled setting.”
There is little doubt one of those drills is going to be keying on the opposing linemen going against each other, where Wright will test himself against an elite tackle. Wright has gotten the reps against the Browns’ offensive linemen, but this will be a different level altogether.
Stefenski is also excited that they can be very intentional about their work in these joint practices.
“I do and I like that you can have controlled settings. I like that both sides can feel confident that their quarterbacks are going to stay upright. And I like that you can script practice and get a bunch of different situations, whether it be third down, two-minute, what have you. For us, sometimes you go through a game, and you don’t get a two-minute, per se, or the third and three doesn’t show up for you, those type of things. So, it allows us to really get intentional work, if you will.”
When Smith is back healthy, he will be the starter, no matter how good Wright looks during the joint practices. Still, that doesn’t mean that the former UAB will just be riding the bench. At the end of last season, he was a rotational piece, and that’s the starting point for this season’s expectations. Whether Wright is able to earn his way into a bigger role long-term is what’s on the line now. Wright will be a free agent after the 2025 season, and he’s looking to start his journey to getting paid. Finding success against one of the best offensive linemen in football would raise a ton of eyebrows (in a good way) for the Browns.
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