Nahshon Wright
Nahshon Wright is an American professional football cornerback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He has previously played for the Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers.
Early life
Wright attended James Logan High School, where he played as a wide receiver and cornerback. He also lettered in basketball and track. He enrolled at Laney College, where he contributed to the team winning the 2018 state championship. He tallied 12 starts, 17 tackles, four interceptions, and three passes defensed, while earning All-conference honors.He transferred to Oregon State University in 2019. As a sophomore, he appeared in all 12 games with 10 starts, posting 34 tackles and three interceptions.
As a junior in 2020, the football season was reduced to seven games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He started in six games, registering 30 tackles, two interceptions, four passes defensed, and one sack. He had six tackles and one interception against California. He had seven tackles, one interception, and one pass defensed against Oregon. He had seven tackles and one sack against Stanford. He declared for the NFL draft after the season.
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
Wright was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft. The selection was criticized in the media as a reach, while the team passed on other defensive backs like Elijah Molden, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Ambry Thomas and Brandon Stephens. Wright signed his four-year rookie contract with Dallas on July 21, worth $4.8 million. In Week 9 against the Denver Broncos, he touched a blocked punt after it passed the line of scrimmage, causing the officiating crew to award the ball back to the Broncos with a new set of downs. In Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons, he recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown. He appeared in 13 games, playing mainly on special teams, finishing the season with 7 defensive tackles and two special teams tackles.In 2022, he appeared in 7 games with two starts, registering 22 tackles, one interception, 4 pass breakups and one special teams tackle. He was declared inactive in the first 5 games of the season. In the fourteenth game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he replaced a struggling Kelvin Joseph at right cornerback. He started in the fifteenth game against the Philadelphia Eagles, compiling 8 tackles and 2 pass breakups. He started in the sixteenth game against the Tennessee Titans, leading the defense with a career-best 9 tackles, 2 pass breakups and his first career interception. He struggled with penalties in his 2 starts. In the season finale against the Washington Commanders, he was replaced in the starting lineup with Trayvon Mullen. He was declared inactive for the 2 playoff games, to allow the team to activate Israel Mukuamu.
On August 30, 2023, Wright was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury. He was activated on October 16. He appeared in 12 games as a backup player, tallying 2 defensive tackles, one pass breakup and 3 special teams tackles.
Minnesota Vikings
On August 9, 2024, Wright was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for Andrew Booth Jr. He was waived on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad.Wright signed a reserve/future contract with Minnesota on January 17, 2025. On April 7, Wright was released by the Vikings.
Chicago Bears
On April 8, 2025, Wright signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears.In the first game of the 2025 regular season against the Vikings, he recorded a 74-yard interception return touchdown off J. J. McCarthy. As the season progressed, Wright saw increased action due to injuries at cornerback. He recovered a fumbled handoff in Week 6 that led to the Bears' game-winning drive to beat the Washington Commanders, followed by intercepting the New Orleans Saints' Spencer Rattler a week later. In Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wright was beaten by Tee Higgins for two touchdowns in the first half, including a 44-yard score in which Higgins caught a pass over Wright along the sideline; despite the struggles, Wright intercepted Joe Flacco's Hail Mary pass to secure the Bears' 47–42 victory. Wright also dropped two potential interceptions in Week 10, but recovered a late fumble by New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart to help Chicago win. He intercepted McCarthy again in the second meeting with Minnesota, which he dedicated to late Laney College head coach John Beam. Wright was responsible for stopping the Eagles' infamous Tush Push in Week 13 when he ripped the ball from Jalen Hurts, leading to Philadelphia's first turnover of the season when they ran the play. He was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November.
Wright ended the 2025 season with a league-leading eight takeaways, consisting of five interceptions and three fumble recoveries. He also forced two fumbles and broke up 11 passes. After Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell withdrew due to injury, Wright was named an alternate for the 2026 Pro Bowl Games.