Darnell Mooney is a fascinating case study between national and local media. National pundits barely even mention the Chicago Bears receiver as a viable go-to option for Justin Fields. He’s a #3 thrust into a #1 spot. Meanwhile, local pundits believe the former 5th round is on the cusp of accomplishing something special. He cracked 1,000 yards last season with three different quarterbacks throwing the ball. Not every receiver can accomplish something like that.
The interesting discussion is what the rest of the NFL thinks. These people understand the game best and do the most film study. According to what Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus is hearing, there is lots of optimism around the third-year Bears receiver. He had Mooney on the short list of receivers primed for bigger roles in 2022. One person he talked to went so far as to predict lots of productivity.
“Mooney is looking to continue his upward trajectory since being selected in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Tulane, and he has little competition for targets in Chicago since the Bears let Allen Robinson II walk in free agency.
Mooney surprised with 61 catches for 631 yards with four touchdowns as a rookie, then quietly put together an 81-catch, 1,055-yard campaign in 2021.
One source wouldn’t be surprised if those numbers significantly increase again in Mooney’s second season playing with quarterback Justin Fields.”
Darnell Mooney is in a great spot.
He’s now the unquestioned best receiver on the team and has a tight relationship with Justin Fields. In the nine games the two started and finished together, Mooney had 440 yards on 56 targets. Remember, the receiver had 140 targets last season. So if you draw that out to a full year, he would’ve had 1,099 yards. That was with Fields being a rookie and having not spent a single practice in training camp working together.
Imagine what they could accomplish with better chemistry and in an offense that isn’t nearly as disjointed as Matt Nagy’s. Most #1 receivers have somewhere between 160-190 targets in a season, presuming good healthy. Put all of these factors together, and the prediction feels true. Darnell Mooney could fill up that stat sheet more than ever. Bears fans would love nothing better than to rub that in the faces of all the doubters.
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Mooney is on a devante Adams like trajectory watch