5 Chicago Bears who exceeded expectations at bye week

1 Darnell Mooney

Johnson and Smith have exceeded expectations, but many had high hopes for them to begin with. We did highlight Darnell Mooney as the perfect Taylor Gabriel replacement before the draft. We also had him seeing the field over Javon Wims and Riley Ridley before many were ready to admit it.

However, we did not think that Mooney would pass Anthony Miller for the second trusted receiver so quickly.

Not only that, when looking at air yards, he gets almost as much work as Allen Robinson through the air.

We can look at his counting stats, but Chicago Bears fans know that they should be higher. Nick Foles has missed a wide-open Darnell Mooney multiple times this year. He could be much more productive.

A rookie wide receiver with tape that is more impressive than his counting numbers. That can get Chicago Bears fans excited. It has not been the best year, but the breakout of Darnell Mooney has been encouraging.