Chicago Bears WR Darnell Mooney works to return to form after 8-month recovery from ankle surgery: ‘It will be better this year’

As the 2022 Chicago Bears season wore on without him, Darnell Mooney found himself switching the TV on and off in bouts of curiosity and frustration.

The wide receiver missed the final five games of his third NFL season with a left ankle injury that required tightrope surgery, and he watched his teammates grind out a 3-14 season from afar.

“I’m watching it on TV, and I’m like, ‘I’m not watching this no more,’ ” Mooney said. “Then I turn it off. Then I turn it back on, and it’s like, ‘All right, all right, c’mon.’ Then it’s just like, ‘I can’t watch this.’ ”

Mooney no longer has to experience fear of missing out after rejoining Bears practices Wednesday and Thursday to open training camp at Halas Hall.

The Bears are limiting him as he ramps up to full activity, but he has worked in individual drills and 7-on-7s. On three straight plays Thursday, quarterback Justin Fields threw at Mooney, who hauled in the first catch near the right sideline. He couldn’t reel in the second ball with linebacker T.J. Edwards crashing down on him and didn’t separate enough from rookie defensive back Terell Smith in coverage on a deep shot.

Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said Thursday that Mooney has done well wading back into practices. And he thinks Mooney’s “banked reps” — the two years he has worked with Fields — and the resulting chemistry they have should help him get back on top more quickly. The pair also worked out together in the lead-up to training camp.

“We’re taking it slow just because he hasn’t done anything for quite some time,” Getsy said. “There’s no reason to hurry. As long as he continues to get better and get healthy, he should be off and running.”

Mooney, 25, said he already was planning to have offseason left ankle surgery because of issues from his first two seasons. Then he went down in the Nov. 27 game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. He knew what had happened immediately.

“Byron (Pringle) was like, ‘Get up, bro,’ ” Mooney said. “I was like, ‘Nah, nah, that’s not happening. It’s broke.’ ”

[ [Don't miss] Chicago Bears training camp report: The Justin Fields-DJ Moore connection continues to grab attention ]

Mooney decided it was “just God sitting me down a little earlier” than originally planned and tried to find the positive as he embarked on a tough eight-month recovery process. It helped that Mooney, safety Eddie Jackson and linebacker Jack Sanborn all rehabbed from injuries together. Mooney said the time off also was good for self-reflection, and he learned he needs to “calm down a lot.”

“I’m a calm person, but in my head, I talk to myself a lot, point out some things,” Mooney said. “I don’t have to be that hard on myself. Just go and enjoy life and just be a good person and be this happy person that I am.”

Mooney had one 1,000-yard receiving season in his first three, when he totaled 81 catches for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns in 2021. He and the Bears offense in general got off to a slow start in the first season under Getsy in 2022, and Mooney had 40 catches for 493 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games.

As he works back to form alongside new top receiver DJ Moore, Mooney thinks he can make a leap in Year 2 with Getsy because of a better understanding of the offense.

“I just remember my Year 1 to Year 2 of just knowing the offense. It was easier to go, easier to play,” Mooney said. “Not a lot of thinking. It was actually just playing, like how can I defeat this defender? And the rhythm of the offense as well. So it will be better this year for sure.”

Mooney was a 2020 fifth-round pick of former GM Ryan Pace, and he’s eligible to be one of the next in line for a contract extension after the Bears signed tight end Cole Kmet to a four-year, $50 million deal Wednesday. But the Bears need to see he’s progressing well enough from his injury first. General manager Ryan Poles said Thursday that they use many different metrics, including acceleration, deceleration, mph and mileage, to make sure injured players are on track to return to form.

[ [Don't miss] Chicago Bears president and Mayor Johnson continue talking as NFL team keeps stadium options open ]

Fields, for one, believes Mooney is on his way.

“Moon is a very hard worker, so I know he’s going to get back to the spot that he needs to be at,” Fields said. “Just trying to get it back to where he was last year and feeling even better. … He has looked really good. I’m excited for what he does this season.”

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 29

Bears fans cheer for autographs after practice on July 27, 2023, during training camp at Halas Hall. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)