Chicago Bears: 5 Hot takes on Matt Nagy, Darnell Mooney and more

Chicago Bears Hot Take No. 1: Darnell Mooney fits better than Allen Robinson

Is Darnell Mooney a better WR1 than Allen Robinson for Justin Fields??

Darnell Mooney has led the team in both receptions and yards in two of the last three games. Although I don’t know if it’s fair to look too much into such a small sample size, it’s at least worth pointing out that Fields seems to have a strong connection with the second-year receiver. This is definitely something Bears fans should be excited about since this is a connection Bears fans are hoping to see for many years to come.

But what does this mean for Allen Robinson?

The first thing to point out about the Bears offense is that isn’t exactly a pass-heavy attack. Fields only threw 17 passes against the Lions and 20 in week three against the Browns. With fewer opportunities to catch the ball, it would be understandable if Robinson’s production took a bit of a dip. The hope would be as the season progresses, the Bears will feel more comfortable letting Fields drop back more.

As far as Robinson’s play is concerned, he is certainly still a major asset to the offense. Robinson has some of the best hands in the league, and his body control and frame give him a big catch radius, which was very valuable when he was playing with less accurate quarterbacks like Mitchell Trubisky. This also gives Robinson the ability to come down with catches even when he doesn’t have much separation from the defender. As great of a skill as this is, the Bears may not want their young quarterback making many throws into tight windows early on. Robinson has never been the best at creating separation partly because he doesn’t need to, but that may explain his lack of targets.

Darnell Mooney adds a vertical dimension to the offense 

Mooney’s game against the Lions helped many Bears fans understand how special he could be with the right quarterback. Mooney has the hands and route running to be used in shorter pass scenarios, but the deep pass game is where he truly thrives. His elite speed, mixed with his knack for getting open downfield, makes him a constant home run threat for opposing defenses. The question will be if Mooney is cut out for the role of wide receiver one. For right now, I think having Robinson on the other side of the field, often drawing the opposing team’s top corner, has certainly helped his success.

Bottom line:

We probably shouldn’t be reading too much into things this early in Fields’ career. Robinson and Mooney have different enough styles that they should be able to co-exist. With that said, if Mooney continues to get more touches than Robinson, it could play a major role in what happens with Robinson’s contract negotiations after this year.