Like Chicago Bears fans, Darnell Mooney struggled to watch from home following injury

LAKE FOREST – Darnell Mooney had a hard time watching the Bears from home.

“There were times when 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, ‘Alright, alright, c’mon.’ Then it’s just like, ‘I can’t watch this.’”

On and off, on and off went the TV. With the team mired in a 10-game losing streak, Bears fans can probably relate.

Mooney missed the final five games of the 2022 season after injuring his ankle in Week 12 against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Despite missing five games, Mooney still led all Bears wide receivers with 40 receptions for 493 yards.

His ankle needed “tightrope” surgery, which basically uses an implant to anchor the tibia and fibula together. Sitting out and watching his teammates from home was not Mooney’s style.

“I learned a lot of things from being away and I enjoyed it,” Mooney said. “I enjoyed the journey. I’m happy I went through the journey of it.”

“I learned a lot of things from being away and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the journey. I’m happy I went through the journey of it. I learned a lot of things.”

—  Darnell Mooney, Bears receiver

Mooney is back to full health now. He passed his physical with the team Tuesday and returned to practice as training camp opened Wednesday. Mooney was a limited participant in his first practices back.

That is probably just the Bears being cautious with a player who they still have high hopes for, and who they don’t want to rush into action.

“We’re excited about having Mooney back,” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “Mooney’s back in there, got some good individual, a few reps in 7-on-7, he’s looked really good. So he’s a vital piece.”

Speaking publicly for the first since his late-November injury, Mooney said he injured his ankle earlier in the season and was already planning to have the tightrope surgery. When a Jets defender rolled up on his ankle on Nov. 27, Mooney knew immediately that something was wrong.

Thus began a long, slow process of having the surgery, then rehabbing the ankle for months. Bears safety Eddie Jackson injured his foot in the same game and also missed the remainder of the season. Linebacker Jack Sanborn injured his ankle a few weeks later.

Those three Bears spent a lot of time together in the offseason rehabbing their injuries with the training staff at Halas Hall.

“Just seeing that we all are going through this thing together, you’re not alone with it and the mental part,” said Jackson, who was cleared to return this spring. “I talked to Mooney just because I’ve been hurt before, and the biggest thing is mental. You’re coming in every single day doing the same things over and over and over, so it can kind of get you mentally drained, you can get mentally frustrated. So you keep a strong mind, you keep working.”

Mooney did not return in time to participate in OTAs in the spring. Earlier this month, he was spotted working out with Justin Fields and other teammates in Florida, a promising development. Mooney should ramp up his participation in practice over the coming days and weeks.

The next few months will be pivotal for Mooney. Like Cole Kmet, who signed a monster contract extension with the team Wednesday, Mooney is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He could be in line for an extension of his own.

“I’ve always told myself and wanted to be that guy that I’m not a risk,” Mooney said. “I’m that guy you can count on. You don’t have to worry about me doing my job. If [an extension is] something they want to do, that’s something they want to do.”