The Bears suffered a blow to their offense with the loss of receiver Darnell Mooney, who’s dealing with what’s likely a season-ending ankle injury.
Coach Matt Eberflus said Mooney is expected to have surgery that will end his season. It was one of several injuries suffered by the Bears during Sunday’s loss at MetLife Stadium.
Mooney leads Chicago with 493 yards on 40 catches with two touchdowns in 12 games. But he’s also been one of the lone consistent wideouts for quarterback Justin Fields this season. However you look at it, it’s a huge loss heading into the final five-game stretch.
“He is our leading receiver,” Eberflus said. “But more importantly he is a great teammate. He’s a great leader. No one puts more yards in than Darnell Mooney. I’ll promise you that. He laps people. He doubles them up. That’s what the numbers tell me. His speed in his numbers are outstanding. He works extremely hard.”
Tight end Cole Kmet saw Mooney on Monday and said he’s in “good spirits” after the news.
“He’s going to have a great attitude towards this,” Kmet said. “He’s going to take this head on and he’s going to work his tail off and know he’s going to have a big comeback for sure.”
While Mooney is just 25 years old, he’s emerged as a leader in that receiving corp. Eberflus hopes Mooney can remain involved as a leader from the sideline.
“What I told him yesterday was just, ‘Hey, just hang in there,’” Eberflus said. “‘Things happen. Still be around. We want you to be around and be in that leadership role and helping the younger players out.’ He’s a great Bear for sure.”
Mooney is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and the expectation is the Bears will look to ink the young wideout to an extension.
