Getty Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney is "ready to go" for training camp after last year's season-ending injury.
Eight months removed from his season-ending ankle injury, Darnell Mooney is “ready to roll” heading into the Chicago Bears’ training camp later this month.
While hosting his youth football camp in McCook, Illinois, on Sunday, July 9, Mooney told WGN Chicago that he is “feeling good” about his ankle’s recovery and indicated he will be ready to return to the field when the team opens camp in about two weeks.
“I’m feeling good,” Mooney said. “I’m ready to roll.”
The Bears’ fourth-year wide receiver fractured his left ankle during Week 12’s loss to the New York Jets on November 27 and was forced to undergo season-ending surgery to repair the torn ligaments. Since then, Mooney has been going through his rehabilitation work with teammates Eddie Jackson and Jack Sanborn — who both also had injuries end their 2022 seasons — and fighting to get back on the field as soon as possible.
“There’s been some ups and downs,” Mooney said. “It’s been a trial. Some things I’ve learned — I’ve enjoyed the journey of it. I’ve enjoyed the process. I’ve learned a lot being able to sit down. You can’t really do too much. Rehabbing my ankle, especially with Eddie, being able to talk through some life things — it’s been amazing.”
Darnell Mooney Confirms Bears’ Hopes About Return
The Bears were optimistic but noncommital about Mooney’s return to the field when they talked about him during their offseason program. Head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters in June that Mooney was “right on track” to be ready for camp; though, the young wideout did not participate at all during their OTAs in late May and early June.
“Darnell is working his tail off and he is right on track,” Eberflus said on June 7. “We anticipate him going as soon as possible. He’s going to have a great summer. I know he’s really amped up for that summer to get ready for training camp, so we’ll see where it is. And barring any setbacks, he’ll be ready [for training camp].”
Now, with a definitive update from Mooney, the Bears can expect to have all three of their starting wide receivers on the field together for the first time since they traded for new No. 1 pass-catcher D.J. Moore in mid-March. Moore was one of the highlights for the team during their spring workouts, but Mooney was stuck with the rehab group for the entire month and was joined by Chase Claypool after the first week of OTAs.
So long as Claypool has also been able to put his injury issues behind him, Bears quarterback Justin Fields should be able to get to work with his starting receiver room when veterans report for training camp on July 26.
Bears Counting on Bounce-Back Season From Mooney
The Bears might now have Moore to serve as Fields’ No. 1 receiving target for the 2023 season, but Mooney is still going to be an important part of the equation as the offense looks to improve upon its overall poor passing performance from a season ago.
The 25-year-old Mooney only managed to secure 40 receptions for 493 yards and two touchdowns before fracturing his ankle last year, but he was a 1,000-yard receiver for the Bears in 2021 and has all the tools to be a dangerous complement for Moore. While Claypool has a bigger frame and more physicality, Mooney has two seasons of banked chemistry with Fields and has earned his quarterback’s trust with his route-running and separation, both of which have helped him emerge as a valuable deep-ball threat.
SHEESH DARNELL MOONEY🔥
(via @NFL)
If Mooney can return to form in 2023 and capitalize on Moore drawing top-receiver attention from opposing defenses, he could set himself up nicely for a breakout year.
“Another year in the same offense, under the same regime — we understand it,” Mooney said Sunday. “We’re not just thinking about, ‘Are we doing the right things? Are we not doing the right things?’ I just know my year one to year two was a different thing, knowledge-wise. I’m not on a hype train or anything. We’re just going to win. We have to win. Nothing else but that.”
Mooney also has an expiring rookie contract to motivate him in 2023. Bears general manager Ryan Poles sang Mooney’s praises when talking about him during his end-of-season press conference in January, but nice words from the boss are not the same thing as guarantees. If Mooney wants to re-sign with the Bears, he is going to need to put up deserving numbers in 2023 — and may need to outperform Claypool as well, as it remains unlikely that Chicago will extend both of them for the 2024 season.
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