Chicago Bears: Darnell Mooney ready to embrace new leadership role

After a successful sophomore season, Chicago Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney is ready to embrace his new role as leader of the unit.

The Chicago Bears are in a state of flux. After firing general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy, the new regime, consisting of Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus, is doing their thing to bring winning back to Chicago.

One of the important aspects of the offense is having the right quarterback in place. The Bears feel they do with Justin Fields. They want to do whatever it takes to put him in a successful situation.

Some people question that, however, after this offseason. They see what Poles did (or didn’t do) with the offensive line and the wide receivers corps. Not only did Poles not sign any big names, he also avoided signing mid-level talent. He went with young underachieving players eager to prove their worth. We don’t know how that will work in 2022, but many fans were not happy.

The wide receivers unit is one that the fans wanted to see action during the offseason. Entering the new league year, the Bears only had Darnell Mooney and Dazz Newsome under contract. Poles ended up signing players like Equanimeous St. Brown, Byron Pringle, and lately Dante Pettis. He also drafted Velus Jones Jr. in the third round of this year’s draft.

With the new crop of receivers on the roster, Mooney is the leader of the group. He had a successful sophomore season, recording over 1,000 receiving yards. He had the most targets and catches on the team. Because of that, he’ll be the top guy with the receivers.

Mooney and Fields clicked right from the start. Fields did not get reps with the starters in training camp last year, but he and Mooney worked together after practices. They developed a rapport and it showed when Fields hit the field in real games. He struggled to jell with most starters but, since he worked with Mooney so much, he felt comfortable going to him.

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Now Mooney is officially the man on the wide receivers unit. While he had a very good season in 2021, the Bears still had Allen Robinson. Say what you will about his struggles last season, but he was the undisputed leader on the team.

Now, however, that title goes to Mooney. He continued to work with Fields this offseason. As a result, their connection will only get better. He and Fields will understand each other more. Fields will be able to make a throw knowing exactly how Mooney will get in position and get him the ball where he likes it. Mooney will be a big part of how well Fields plays in 2022.

For his part, Mooney is embracing his new role. When he entered the draft in 2020, he felt disrespected lasting until the fifth round. It was a class deep in receivers but Mooney felt he was one of the best. Going late in the draft didn’t sit well with him.

I know what I want out of my life. I know what I want out of this league. Disrespected as a fifth-rounder. … At the end of the day, I will get my respect. I am going to keep going til I get my respect.

Also, you have an analyst like Dan Orlovsky, who doesn’t consider Mooney a WR1 or a WR2.

This is exactly what Poles and Eberflus want in their players. They want players hungry to prove their worth. These are the players Poles purposely went after. Who better to lead a group like this than Mooney?

Mooney knows that now that he is the top guy on the receiving corps, he’ll get more attention from opposing defenses. Furthermore, depending on how the other receivers play, Mooney might receive multiple double-teams all game long throughout the season. He says he is ready for anything to come his way.

I’m ready for whatever anybody brings to me. I’m ready for any task, any type of defense that we’re seeing, whatever it is, anyway, I can help the team. You know, if I get double-teamed, I’ll be a decoy for the team so everybody else can be open. I mean, I’m good with that. Any way I can help win…  I have a lot more in the tank that has been hidden. Hopefully, I can let all of that out this year.

Mooney is ready to show the world how good he really is. Now he has his chance to do so.