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The Chicago Bears had two players voted into the Pro Bowl last season: outside linebacker Robert Quinn and returner/wide receiver Jakeem Grant.
Grant left in free agency, signing a three-year deal with the Cleveland Browns, while Quinn didn’t show up for the team’s mandatory veteran minicamp and has been the subject of trade rumors for months. Thus, it’s a realistic possibility Chicago could enter the 2022 regular season without an incumbent Pro Bowler on the roster.
Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated thinks there’s a future Pro Bowl player ready to make a name for himself this coming season, however: third-year wideout Darnell Mooney.
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Orr: Mooney Will Enter ‘Elite Tier’ of WRs in 2022
Mooney had a breakout season of sorts in 2021. He finished as the favorite target of rookie quarterback Justin Fields, leading the team in targets (140), receptions (81), receiving yards (1,055) and TD catches (4). He also led Chicago’s WR corps in receiving yards-per-game (62.1), up from the 39.4 ypg he averaged as a rookie in 2020 (stats courtesy of ESPN).
All were career numbers for Mooney, and Orr thinks the former fifth-round pick out of Tulane is set to break out in a big way in 2022. Here’s his reasoning:
If you have yet to buy a ticket on the Darnell Mooney bandwagon, too bad. They cost more than Harry Potter seats on Broadway. The hyper-athletic third-year wide receiver, who overperformed in a broken offense last year, steps into a more refined, outside-zone-style offense that should, at the very least, put him in position to get the ball in space. While we have been notably grim on the prospect of a first-year Bears revival under Matt Eberflus, we are bullish on the idea of Mooney taking over a handful of games for the Bears this year and shoving his way into the elite tier of NFL wide receivers. Mooney is everything Fields needs right now. He overperforms despite a lack of schemed separation and can be just as productive running a bunch of stops and quick outs as he can knifing a defense with go balls.
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Mooney’s Connection With Fields Matters
Mooney developed a solid on-field chemistry with Fields in 2021, and the duo have continued to work on their connection this offseason, frequently working out together outside of practice and team activities.
The 5-foot-11, 174-pound Mooney, who turns 25 in October, recently talked about his growing rapport with Fields, noting he has a “natural” vibe with the second-year QB.
“Recently, we were in the Walter Payton Center,” Mooney said at minicamp on June 14. “Just throwing the ball around and it just felt like every ball that we were throwing and catching, it was just like connecting. It wasn’t too much to it. We were out there doing our thing. It felt good, it felt natural. It wasn’t too much talking. Playing music and just working out, so it was just natural. I mean, I loved it.”
Bears Nation hasn’t had much to root for in recent years, but they may have a boon in Mooney, whose connection with Fields should only get stronger.
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