Chicago Bears: Fields And Mooney Continue To Work On Special Bond

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields and wide receiver Darnell Mooney continue to work together to build upon the positives they had last season.

The Chicago Bears felt they finally found their franchise quarterback when they moved up in last year’s draft to select Justin Fields. Fields has the tools and leadership skills to be a special player.

Things didn’t go as planned, however. Former head coach Matt Nagy was hesitant to use Fields, He envisioned using him in goal-line or short-yardage situations to get his feet wet. He didn’t want the young quarterback to be overwhelmed.

The changed when Nagy received a lot of pressure to use Fields more. Then starter Andy Dalton went down with a knee injury and Nagy had no other choice.

The problem was that Nagy did not give Fields any reps with the starters during training camp. That meant he had to learn about the receivers on the fly. Furthermore, Nagy did not change the offense to fit Fields’ skills. He had the same game plan he had for Dalton. Dalton is a slow-footed, pocket quarterback, something Fields is not. Fields could use his legs to move around, buying time, a good thing since the offensive line struggled mightily.

Fields did some work with Mooney and a special relationship began

While Fields didn’t get any action with the starters during training camp, he did get some work with second-year receiver Darnell Mooney. Mooney wanted to build upon a pretty good rookie season. He had catches for 631 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Mooney was slated to be the second-most targeted receiver after Allen Robinson. He must have had the same feeling the rest of us had, though. he knew that Dalton wouldn’t be there for the long haul. Dalton was just a small bridge.

Mooney stayed after practices to work with Fields. The two players got to know each other and a bond was created.

When Fields got onto the field, it was Mooney who received the benefits. Robinson struggled to get on the same page as Fields (as well as injury). Mooney, however, took over some of the slack. He became Fields’ go-to receiver. As Fields felt more comfortable with Mooney, Mooney felt more comfortable with his skills. It didn’t matter which quarterback was in, Mooney was balling. He ended the season with 81 catches for 1,055 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. He averaged 13 yards per catch.

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by Full Press Coverage on March 25, 2023 at 12:09 am

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Mooney and Fields continue working together

Fields and Mooney felt so good together that they continued to work together this offseason. In March, Mooney went to Fields’ home in Atlanta to train together. throughout the minicamps and OTAs, the two keep pushing each other to be better on and off the field.

It’s definitely important just being able to bond, and just have a friend and somebody you can joke around with; somebody you can get onto or have somebody get onto you. Especially with the profession that we have, you don’t really have guys who can tell you, ‘Hey, you need to pick it up.’ But with me and Justin, we kind of have that relationship.

Many people expect Fields to take a leap in production this season. He could do that with Mooney’s help. Mooney says that Fields has taken to the new offense Luke Getsy installed. Additionally, knowing that he is the undisputed QB1 helps. Mooney notices a difference and knows that Fields’ development is important for him.

He’s already Justin Fields. But he wants to be the best quarterback in the league. He’s taken the stride to be there. I’ve got unbelievable faith that he will be there. And his success is my success, so as long as he’s doing good, I’m doing good, we’re all doing good.

The Fields-Mooney connection could be a special one. Mooney only has one season on Fields so the two could grow together. With the changes to the wide receivers corps, Mooney will again be the focus. He is the only receiver (other than Dazz Newsome who only had 2 catches all season last year) returning. That bond will be important for the Chicago Bears offense this season.