The Chicago Bears have begun whittling down their roster to the required 53 players ahead of the regular season. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus likely have a good idea of the starting lineups. It is now about seeing if they can improve the depth via the waiver wire or minor trades. Then again, the NFL is always unpredictable. Big names get traded this time of year, too. It happened to Khalil Mack a few years ago. Now, there is a belief that Darnell Mooney might be worth watching this time.
It sounds crazy when first hearing it. Mooney cracked 1,000 yards two years ago. He's the most consistent receiver the Bears have had. He also has a strong relationship with Justin Fields. Still, Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus thinks there is a possibility a trade could happen. Keep in mind the analytics expert has produced accused information in the past. When he posts something like this, he almost always has concrete reasons. So why Mooney? Here is his explanation and the potential landing spots.
"It would come as a major surprise if the Bears entertained the idea of actually moving on from Darnell Mooney, but it would be less surprising if Mooney was a bit frustrated with the lack of progress in extension conversations to this point in the offseason and was open to a change of scenery. Mooney went from the No. 1 receiving option in 2022 to sharing targets with D.J. Moore and Chase Claypool, and Chicago was a distant dead last in pass attempts, completions and yards last season. While they figure to take a massive leap forward, perhaps Mooney wants more volume in a pivotal contract year.
Potential landing spots: Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders"
Darnell Mooney is on uncertain ground.
It would be easy to get angry about these comments. The thing is, they aren't wrong. Mooney missed over a quarter of last season with an ankle injury. He also wasn't playing that well at the time, averaging 41.08 yards per game. That was way down from his 62.05 in 2021. Part of that was having to switch offensive systems. The wide-zone Luke Getsy runs is notorious for being difficult for receivers to master. Couple that with his injury, and it wasn't the greatest first impression on Poles or Eberflus.
The arrivals of D.J. Moore, Chase Claypool, and (to a lesser extent) Tyler Scott have also made the depth chart more crowded. Chicago doesn't have to lean on Darnell Mooney as much as the past two years. Poles has already shown a willingness to trade big-name players. Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, and Roquan Smith all found that out. Thus far, Cole Kmet is the only Ryan Pace draft pick to earn an extension. Everybody else was eventually traded or released.
It is unlikely the Bears trade Mooney. The offers won't be too strong and would only weaken Fields' weapons arsenal. Still, to say there is no possibility is incorrect.
