Chicago Bears: 3 Breakout players who will emerge in 2021

2. Darnell Mooney, Wide Receiver

Wide receiver Darnell Mooney was a little-known wide receiver from Tulane. The Chicago Bears drafted him last year in the fifth round. The Bears needed help at wide receiver so they took a flyer on him.

Mooney soon made an impression on the coaching staff, especially head coach Matt Nagy. As the season progressed, he saw more snaps. Eventually, he surpassed Anthony Miller and became the Bears’ second option at receiver.

This offseason, the Bears felt so confident in Mooney that they shipped Miller to Houston. Mooney is squarely set at WR2.

One of Mooney’s best assets is his speed. The Bears made speed a priority this offseason. The coaches feel if the offense has an abundance of speed it puts a lot of pressure on the opposing defense. The speedsters can take off and beat the defenders downfield and make big plays. Also, if the defense is preoccupied with the speedsters downfield it opens up space for the other receivers. Now it becomes a “pick your poison” for the defense.

Last season, there were a number of plays in which Mooney blew past his defender and was wide open downfield. The quarterbacks just didn’t have enough time to get the ball to him or just plain missed him when they did. That should change in 2021. Despite the naysayers, the offensive line should be better than it was last season. Additionally, Dalton is a more accurate passer downfield than Mitchell Trubisky ever was. Seeing Fields’ college play, he is also a very accurate deep passer. Hopefully, that translates to the NFL.

If the quarterback play improves this season, Mooney will really impress. He showed in his rookie season that he could be a very good option. In 2021, he’ll solidify himself as one of the best options the Chicago Bears have.