Chicago Bears: 4 Best moves Ryan Pace made this offseason

Darnell Mooney, Wide Receiver

Nobody, including myself, expected to see Darnell Mooney make an immediate impact as a rookie for the Chicago Bears. The fifth-round pick out of Tulane has the ninth-highest snap count percentage on the team and the second-highest among wide receivers. He already is out snapping Anthony Miller, who is now in his third-year in the NFL.

Week 1, Mooney didn’t play much but still had an impact. He caught all three passes thrown his way for 38 yards. This solid showing increased Mooney’s snap count from then on being on the field for at least 60% of the snaps every game since.

Since then, Mooney has received 30 targets catching 18 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown. He hasn’t exactly jumped out on the stat sheet, but his impact as a deep threat has been great and an immediate replacement for Taylor Gabriel since he was cut following the 2019 season. He is on pace for 80 targets this season.

Mooney’s role is going to continue to grow more and more as he develops a connection with quarterback Nick Foles. He’s already getting the targets, now he and Foles just need to connect on them.