Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney is among several players returning from injury this season, and it couldn’t come at a more crucial time than his contract year.
Coming off his first 1,000-yard season, Mooney suffered a broken ankle against the Jets on Nov. 27, which cut his 2022 season short after just 11 games.
While updates from his coaches have been positive, it was nice to hear how Mooney is doing right from his own mouth.
Mooney appeared on the St. Brown Brothers’ podcast on The 33rd Team, where he provided an update on his rehab and whether he’ll be ready to go for the start of the season.
“I am running, I’m cutting, started cutting today,” Mooney said. “I’ll be 100 percent. I’ve got screws in my foot, so I’ll be a little robotic. Probably 1,000 times better than I was.”
Mooney confirmed that he broke his fibula and had tightrope surgery to repair it. But he sounded confident that he’ll back ready to go for the start of the 2023 season. Whether that includes the start of training camp remains to be seen.
The good news is Mooney doesn’t have to rush back. Chicago acquired DJ Moore from the Panthers, and he’ll be Justin Fields’ top option in the passing game. The Bears also have Chase Claypool, who they traded for last season, as well as rookie Tyler Scott, Equanimeous St. Brown and tight end Cole Kmet.
