Darnell Mooney ‘on fire’ with his route-running at Bears training camp

LAKE FOREST – Before the 2020 NFL Draft, Bears general manager Ryan Pace gave coach Matt Nagy a group of players for the staff to review.

Nagy calls it a “cloud of guys.” The coaches looked for someone they really liked who fit well with what they want to run and a 5-foot-11, 173-pound wide receiver from Tulane caught everyone’s attention.

“Between personnel and coaches, there was 100% consensus and when you have that, that’s probably where you really feel good,” Nagy said. “I’m telling you – we knew in the fifth round we were getting a steal. We knew it.”

Darnell Mooney did nothing to temper those thoughts in his rookie season, grabbing 61 catches for 631 yards and four touchdowns. Thus far in training camp, Mooney has continued to sparkle.

“Mooney, right now, is on fire with his route-running,” Nagy said. “He’s running some routes right now that I haven’t really seen. Him and A-Rob (Allen Robinson). (Mooney) is putting his own spin and stamp on more routes.”

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When told of Nagy’s assessment, Mooney smiled.

“I appreciate the comment from coach Nagy,” Mooney said. “I’m working to get better, getting more confident in my routes, getting more comfortable with the quarterback and being on time with the quarterback.

“Last year I was more so just trying to just be at the right place at the right time. This year I’m more comfortable just taking my time, being more at pace and being able to just win the route and then the quarterback hit me. So just having that confidence and being able to run the route is definitely different than last year.”

Mooney constantly talks with Bears’ top receiver Allen Robinson, like after almost every play in practices.

“He’s a person who is very much eager to get better, wants to get better, wants to fine-tune his route-running,” said Robinson, who has 200 catches over the last two seasons. “He wants to better his craft each and every day.

“So when you have players like that, just talking football, picking each other’s brains, things like that come very seamless to players like that.”

Mooney finished fifth in the NFL among rookie receivers with his 61 receptions, which ranks No. 2 on the Bears’ all-time rookie list to running back Matt Forte’s 63. Forte also played at Tulane.

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Mooney caught three passes in last year’s opener against Detroit and grabbed his first NFL touchdown pass in Week 2 against the New York Giants.

“Obviously, the unknown (for him) is out of the way,” Bears wide receivers coach Mike Furrey said. “He’s coming back, he knows where we practice, he knows what the locker room is like. So all of those things provide confidence. We all know his abilities and his assets.

“He’s focusing on what the day brings. And that’s all you need to do. He’s showing up here every day, he’s in the playbook, he’s trying to win that day and that’s going to allow him to be successful down the road.”

Putting his own little signature moves into routes is coming more natural this season for Mooney. He is learning the nuances, like changing speeds to help give defensive backs the slip.

“Last year I was more trying to just be at the right place at the right time,” Mooney said. “This year I’m more comfortable just taking my time, being at my pace and being able to just win the route.

“I want to be a precise route-runner and I want to be known for my route-running and just being able to do things after the ball.”