The Chicago Bears‘ chances of winning on Sunday in New York were low. Their roster is depleted of talent, and that was made worse by Justin Fields sitting out the game with a shoulder injury. Sadly the offense couldn’t escape the afternoon unscathed. Top receiver Darnell Mooney got rolled up in the second half, forcing him to exit with an ankle injury. It was revealed after the game that he’d suffered torn ligaments. Expectations are he will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season. This is terrible news for Mooney and the Bears in almost every sense.
However, one must try to look on the bright side in these situations. One thing the team already knows is that Mooney is a good player. He’ll be part of the offense next season. His connection with Justin Fields is strong. His absence creates a void but also an opportunity. Chicago traded for Chase Claypool last month. Since then, he and Fields haven’t been able to connect many times, what with Mooney and Cole Kmet eating up most of the targets. Fields will need somebody else to step up with the former out of the picture. This situation should allow him and Claypool to link up more often, improving their chemistry going into 2023.
Darnell Mooney and Claypool can hit the ground running next year.
By then, the two should have well-established connections with their quarterback. Presuming the Bears are able to improve their leaky pass protection during the off-season, this passing attack can become much more fun. Claypool showed in the Jets game what he’s capable of when given opportunities. His size and hand-eye coordination make him a matchup problem against most cornerbacks. Fields needs to learn to trust him. It’s okay to throw the ball up there and give the guy chances to win 50/50 situations. Some young quarterbacks aren’t willing to make those throws for fear of interceptions.
Fields will have four or five more games to embrace that style. Claypool is somebody the Bears view as a big part of their future. That’s why they traded a 2nd round pick for him. Darnell Mooney is out of the picture now. That means he is by far the most proven wide receiver they have. Equanimeous St. Brown, Byron Pringle, N’Keal Harry, and Dante Pettis aren’t going to save the day. If the Bears want to keep the passing game semi-viable, they must facilitate that connection.
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I feel like Mooney can come back and play the slot next year. Our focus should be on getting one more game changer wide receiever from the draft. To big fast receivers on the edge and mooney in the slot with his speed. Fields should play this year, just be smart , slide and go out of bounds when necessary, protect yourself. If he is ready to go against greenbay , play him. I would also like to see more of pringle, velus jones and N’Keal Harr. I know pettis and brown are third string receivers already.
I don’t understand why the Bears haven’t targetted Claypool more. Trent Dilfer said the offense takes one day to learn, and Trent is smart – I know because I coached him high school in the Santa Cruz. CA area. Moving forward, the entire Bears coaching staff received a one year bye. Reality sets in next season.
I don’t bring Fields back until after the Bye week. What’s another Packer win if they injure Fields further. Last 4 are tough games but hopefully we get some of our injured back in that time. Sit him. Play the second string and get players healthier the next 2 weeks.
Justin needs to sit the rest of the season and learn to read the field like a professional pocket passer. Then he will truly own this league.
Justin should play as much as possible this year to aid his development.