Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright, who led the NFL with eight takeaways during a breakout 2025 season, has been added to the NFC roster for the Pro Bowl Games.
Back home in California, Wright told ChicagoBears.com that he was heading to a seafood restaurant with his fiancée and children when he received a call from general manager Ryan Poles informing him of the news. The first-time Pro Bowler immediately phoned his mother, brother and Bears defensive backs coach Al Harris.
"I've been excited all day," Wright said. "My fiancée and I were getting ready to go eat with my kids. When we got to the restaurant, I couldn't even eat. I'm super excited."
When Wright signed with the Bears last April after spending most of the 2024 season on the Vikings practice squad, he was expected to compete for a reserve position. But with cornerback Jaylon Johnson sidelined due to an injury, Wright began working with the No. 1 defense in the spring and immediately displayed his ball skills in practice.
That continued throughout training camp and into the regular season, with Wright ultimately sharing the NFL lead with three fumble recoveries and tying for second with five interceptions, one of which he returned 74 yards for a touchdown in the season opener against Minnesota. He also forced two fumbles and broke up 11 passes.
"My confidence started to grow throughout OTAs and training camp," Wright said, "just knowing that coach Al, [defensive coordinator] Dennis Allen and [head coach] Ben [Johnson] trusted me being out there with the starters making plays. There were so many things that just fell in line for me, which I was super grateful for, but the confidence came from the coaches believing in me more so than anything."
Prior to the 2025 campaign, Wright had recorded just one interception and no fumble recoveries in 33 NFL games over four seasons with the Cowboys (2021-23) and Vikings (2024). Last year he appeared in only one game with Minnesota, playing 15 snaps on special teams and none on defense.
"I've gotten better as I've gotten older in the league, but for me it's always been about getting opportunities," Wright said. "That's been my story throughout high school, junior college, college and the NFL now."
Wright was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November after generating five takeaways in five games. He produced three interceptions and two fumble recoveries in helping the Bears go 5-0 in November, the first time they've won five games in any single month since November 1959.
Wright recorded one takeaway in each of the five wins, making him the first Bears player to create takeaways in five straight games since at least 1970. He intercepted Joe Flacco's desperation pass to seal a 47-42 comeback victory over the Bengals and recovered a Jaxson Dart fumble that was forced by C.J. Gardner-Johnson, swinging the momentum in the Bears' direction in a 24-20 win over the Giants.
"It's just what [Wright] does," Allen said during the season. "He's extremely ball conscious, and he's looking for the opportunities that present themselves to take the ball away. He's had a great year. He's made a lot of big plays for us.
"You watch him and how he's matured over the course of the season, and you see him continuing to get better each and every week. And as he's gotten better, that confidence has started to build and I think when a player's playing confident, they usually tend to play pretty well and end up making some plays."
Wright's last three takeaways of November were all All-Pro caliber. He made sensational leaping interceptions in victories over the Vikings and Steelers and then ripped the ball away from Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts on a tush push play in a Black Friday win in Philadelphia.
Johnson described Wright's interception versus Pittsburgh as "one of the most athletic plays and phenomenal catches I've seen in a long time," adding: "what's under-sung about what 'Shonny' is doing right now is how much he's influencing the run game as well. He's coming up, he's tackling the ballcarrier. They're throwing a bubble screen and he's knifing through the play there. He's really playing sound football, really run game and pass game included."
Wright's addition to the NFC squad gives the Bears four Pro Bowlers, their most since they also had four in 2019. He joins guard Joe Thuney, center Drew Dalman and safety Kevin Byard III, and replaces Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.
For the first time, the Pro Bowl Games will move to Super Bowl LX Week in the San Francisco Bay Area. The event will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 3 and be highlighted by an NFC vs. AFC flag football contest. Coverage of the Pro Bowl Games from San Francisco's Moscone Center begins on ESPN at 5:30 p.m. (CT) with the flag game airing on ESPN, Disney XD and ESPN Deportes at 7 p.m. (CT).
