Bears Trade Pitch Nets Team 2022 Breakout Wide Receiver

Getty Wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones of the Cleveland Browns.

The Chicago Bears offensive line has caught heat all season for its inability to protect the quarterback, but better wide receiver play can also alleviate defensive pressure in a different way.

Jake Ellenbogen and Cameron Lynch of Bleacher Report’s Off The Edge podcast discussed the Bears’ options to improve their corps of pass-catchers ahead of the NFL’s October 31 trade deadline.

“I think right now, quarterbacks are holding onto the football because the only one who’s open is D.J. Moore,” Ellenbogen said. “And when he’s not open, it’s gonna be a Cole Kmet every now and then. And when he’s not open, Darnell Mooney is doing nothing because he’s been an absolute disappointment for this team. He has not done enough.”

Ellenbogen went on to suggest that the Bears pursue Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones to replace Mooney as the No. 2 option alongside Moore.

“I think they should go out and get an underrated, under-appreciated and definitely not being talked about receiver — Donovan Peoples-Jones,” he continued. “The Browns used him a lot last year. They’re not using him at all this year. I think he needs a change of scenery. I think DPJ would be great for them.”

Donovan Peoples-Jones Produced Career-Year with Browns in 2022

GettyWide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones of the Cleveland Browns.

If the Bears trade for Peoples-Jones, it will be a move for the remainder of this season but not necessarily a play for the future.

Peoples-Jones is in the final year of his $3.5 million rookie deal and will hit unrestricted free agency in March. Chicago could attempt to re-sign Peoples-Jones next spring, though the wideout will probably need to improve drastically over the second half of the season to render that a viable outcome.

The wideout had tallied just 8 catches for 97 yards through six games heading into the Browns’ road contest against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, October 29. Peoples-Jones did not record a catch or a target in that game, per ESPN statistics.

The case for the Bears trading for Peoples-Jones is reasonable, even despite those numbers. He improved every year through his first three NFL seasons, finishing the 2022 campaign with 61 catches for 839 yards (both career-high totals) and 3 touchdowns (tied for his career high).

The Browns have been a mess at quarterback all year, first with Deshaun Watson continuing to play poorly after starting just six games to end last season. Rookie Dorian-Thompson Robinson had a disastrous outing defined by three interceptions in Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens following Watson’s shoulder injury, and the team has buried him on the depth chart ever since. Former third-string quarterback P.J. Walker assumed the helm and has turned the ball over six times in a three-game span.

Peoples-Jones is a capable playmaker, but the Browns are either unwilling or unable to utilize him. He could return quickly to his 2022 form if the Bears, or some other franchise, decides to offer the wideout a fresh start.

Bears WR Darnell Mooney Trade Candidate After Poor Start

GettyChicago Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney.

Beyond Peoples-Jones circumstances, Mooney has been bad enough this year to warrant replacement.

Mooney has tallied just 14 catches for 181 yards and a touchdown through seven games in 2023, per Pro Football Reference. He is also in a contract year and is already a trade candidate in Chicago.

Mooney caught 81 passes for 1,055 yards and 4 touchdowns seasons years ago, but injury robbed him of the team’s last several games in 2022. Mooney is on pace for the worst output of his four-year career in 2023 with no indication things will turn around.