ESPN Has Zero Faith In Darnell Mooney And Chase Claypool This Year

From a talent perspective, the Chicago Bears would appear to have their best wide receiver unit in years. D.J. Moore and Darnell Mooney are proven targets crossing the 1,000-yard barrier. Chase Claypool crossed 800 yards in each of his first two seasons before some setbacks last year. It is a young, fast, and athletic group. One would think being put together could lead to some big things this coming season. Well, not everybody is buying into the potential involved.

Eric Karabell of ESPN is one of them. He believes the downturn Mooney and Claypool took last season will continue into 2023. His reasoning for this wasn't hard to determine from his explanation.

"Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool, WRs, Chicago Bears: As with the Ravens, this team is quarterbacked by a talented runner who does his best statistical work when not throwing the pigskin often. Mooney had a strong 2021 season, then struggled last season. Claypool, a Steelers star with nine touchdowns as a rookie in 2020, has three scores since, and cost the Bears a high draft pick. DJ Moore came from the Carolina Panthers in the trade for the No. 1 overall pick. He's likely to statistically underwhelm based on expectations, too."

In other words, he doesn't believe Justin Fields is capable of getting the most out of his receivers. It isn't hard to understand why. The Bears quarterback has averaged 152 passing yards per game through two seasons. He's crossed the 200-yard barrier only six times in 27 games. In a league where passing the ball is how you win, that won't cut it.

Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool need a big year.

Both are in the final season of their rookie contracts. A big statistical jump would virtually guarantee them a healthy payday in 2024, either from the Bears or somebody else on the market. Fields has been doing everything in his power to prepare. He watches film every single day, works out like crazy, and constantly hosts throwing sessions with his receivers. This will be his second season in Luke Getsy's offensive system. That is often when quarterbacks see a big statistical jump.

Fields isn't stupid. He knows this year is a critical one for him. The Bears have done everything in their power to help him flourish. They rebuilt his offensive line, maintaining consistency with the offensive system, and have added new weapons headlined by Moore and Robert Tonyan. Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool are also huge pieces to that puzzle. If he can take a big step forward this year with such investments, then it's not crazy to think GM Ryan Poles might go looking for alternatives next off-season.

All things considered, this group has the talent and motivation to defy those expectations.