WATCH: Highlights from Darnell Mooney’s rookie season
The Chicago Bears are dangerously close to having a crisis at wide receiver. The contract status of superstar wideout and team leader, Allen Robinson, remains a point of contention as the offseason marches on, with the Bears likely having no choice but to use the franchise tag if they want to retain his rights for the next few months.
Tagging Robinson will make him unhappy, as it does with most players whose freedom of movement is restricted by the inherently unfair roster-management tool. But if the Bears don’t use it, if they decline to place the franchise player designation on A-Rob and instead allow him to test his value on the open market, he’s as good as gone.
And if he leaves, the Bears will be left extremely vulnerable and inexperienced at wide receiver, with the top returning player on the depth chart being second-year man, Darnell Mooney.
Mooney had a fantastic rookie season after being selected in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft out of Tulane. Mooney finished his first season with 61 catches for 631 yards and four touchdowns. His ability to separate as a route-runner combined with his downfield speed to make him one of the most impressive first-year receivers in the league, and it’s possible — even if it’s crazy — that GM Ryan Pace saw enough from Mooney to let Robinson walk and build the receiving corps around No. 11.
You be the judge. Here’s a highlight package from Mooney’s impressive first year with the Bears:
