Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney wasn’t able to build on his breakout 2021 season last year.
Mooney had 81 catches for 1,055 yards in 2021, but was limited to 40 catches for 493 yards in 12 games before fracturing his ankle. Mooney had surgery to repair the injury and said in a conversation with Amon-Ra and Equanimeous St. Brown for The 33rd Team that he expects to be 100 percent by the start of the season.
Once he’s back to full speed, Mooney said he also plans to push his game to an even higher level.
“Do whatever I can do for my team, or whatever,” Mooney said. “I mean ball out, of course. Dominate. Not really on the ‘respect my name’ anymore. I’m just disrespecting everybody now. I don’t really care about respect no more. Other than that, I just want to win. I don’t really care about anything else, for real.”
Mooney was the No. 1 receiver last season, but DJ Moore‘s arrival changes the dynamic at wideout this year. If the pairing works out, it should help Justin Fields progress as a quarterback and make for a more competitive offense in Chicago.