There’s no denying that wide receiver Darnell Mooney has a bright future ahead of him. The former fifth-round pick exceeded expectations during his rookie season, which could’ve been even better if not for questionable quarterback play.
Mooney quickly established himself as Chicago’s No. 2 receiver behind Allen Robinson. Mooney caught 61 passes for 631 yards and four touchdowns, and he proved to be a deep threat for the Bears — although his quarterbacks constantly overthrew him.
According to Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger, Mooney is among five players primed for a breakout season in 2021. And it’s easy to see why following an impressive rookie season, where he should only get better with more consistent quarterback play.
Who will be the top breakout player next season? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/vC9SRTGxZM
— PFF (@PFF) June 12, 2021
Bears head coach Matt Nagy made it clear that we’re going to see even more Mooney in 2021.
“Now it’s our job to make sure that he gets lots of opportunities,” Nagy said. “He’s a threat in this offense and what he’s doing out here in OTAs, he’s gotten even better. He has that inner drive. It’s that DNA thing that not everybody has, but he has it and we’re lucky.”
But Mooney isn’t content with what he achieved in his rookie season. He knows he can be even better in 2021.
“They told me that I exceeded expectations and that I played very well,” he said. “To me, I didn’t exceed everything I wanted to accomplish. Going into Year 2, I want to be more of a threat to defenders and more of an asset to this team.”
