Bears WR Darnell Mooney was ‘smiling mid-route’ on first deep ball from QB Justin Fields

If there’s anyone who serves to benefit from the addition of Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields, it’s second-year wideout Darnell Mooney, who had an impressive rookie season that could’ve been even more impressive with better quarterback play.

During Wednesday’s open practice during the second week of voluntary Organized Team Activities, Fields was lauded for his deep ball, including a beauty for wide receiver Damiere Byrd that resulted in a touchdown.

Someone else who’s already taking notice of Fields’ deep ball is Mooney, who got open deep several times as a rookie but was overthrown. Lucky for Mooney, one of Fields’ biggest strengths is his deep-ball accuracy, something that had Mooney smiling on his very first catch from the rookie.

For someone like Mooney who is looking to be a bigger threat in 2021, having an accurate passer — especially deep downfield — is something that should have Mooney excited.

“It’s a beautiful ball, man,” Mooney said. “He (Fields) knows where he wants to put it and it’s very accurate. Sometimes it can get there at the right ball, but he wants it out in front of you and he’ll get frustrated with his self if it’s not there. He’s very tough on his self. He’s a great player, great person as well, and he’s gonna have a good career.”

And if Fields continues to impress during training camp, we might just see the start of his career sooner rather than later.

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