Top 25 most important Bears in 2023: No. 4 Darnell Mooney

Shaw Local is counting down the top 25 most important Bears for the 2023 season.

What makes one player more important than another? That’s subjective, of course. But for our purposes it comes down to this: Are the Bears worse off if this player can’t play? Does this player have untapped potential or past greatness to live up to? Is his story going to be one fans follow closely this season?

The best player on the team isn’t always the most important, but he certainly can be. We will release one player every day between now and the start of training camp.

No. 4 Darnell Mooney

Position: Wide receiver

NFL experience: Fourth season

Last year’s ranking: No. 4

Looking back: The Bears went into the 2022 season knowing their wide receiver position lacked weapons. Darnell Mooney was the clear No. 1 at the position after attaining his first 1,000-yard season in 2021. The Bears surrounded him with weapons like Dante Pettis, Equanimeous St. Brown and Velus Jones Jr. Not surprisingly, the passing game struggled. In terms of passing yards per game, the Bears’ 130.5 yards per game was the worst in the NFL since 2011. Likewise, every pass catcher struggled to put up numbers. Despite missing five games due to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 12, Mooney still led Bears wide receivers with 40 receptions and 493 receiving yards. He also scored two touchdowns.

Mooney missed all of OTAs this spring as he continued to rehab his injured ankle. He is, however, expected to hit the ground running come training camp. He has been the Bears’ best receiver over the past several seasons, totaling 2,179 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns over his first three seasons. He enters the final season of his rookie contract in 2023, and could make a push for a contract extension with the team.

Looking forward: Mooney has the best rapport with quarterback Justin Fields of all the receivers. The two connected quickly in 2021 during Fields’ rookie season. New pass catcher DJ Moore might take over the mantle of wide receiver No. 1, but Mooney will still be a significant contributor this season. With the uncertainty surrounding receiver Chase Claypool, who struggled to produce much of anything late last season, the Bears are going to need Mooney to come back healthy and productive. If the passing game is going to take a step forward, Mooney will be a big part of it.

Arguably more important than the on-field production is what the Bears do with Mooney’s contract situation. The minute Mooney passes a physical and is cleared to return to practice, his agent should be on the phone with Bears general manager Ryan Poles. Mooney has shown enough over his first three seasons that a contract extension feels likely. The question is if the player and the team can agree on a dollar figure. How those talks go will have implications that go far beyond the 2023 season.

[ What might a Darnell Mooney extension look like for the Chicago Bears? ]

In case you missed it: Previous installments of the top 25

• No. 25: Robert Tonyan
• No. 24: Roschon Johnson
• No. 23: Cody Whitehair
• No. 22: Velus Jones Jr.
• No. 21: Jack Sanborn
• No. 20: Teven Jenkins
• No. 19: DeMarcus Walker
• No. 18: Gervon Dexter
• No. 17: Dominique Robinson
• No. 16: Kyler Gordon
• No. 15: D’Onta Foreman
• No. 14: Tyrique Stevenson
• No. 13: Jaquan Brisker
• No. 12: T.J. Edwards
• No. 11: Khalil Herbert
• No. 10: Darnell Wright
• No. 9: Braxton Jones
• No. 8: Cole Kmet
• No. 7: Eddie Jackson
• No. 6: Chase Claypool
• No. 5: Tremaine Edmunds