Darnell Mooney listed as surprise trade candidate by Pro Football Focus

The Chicago Bears front office and coaching staff are hard at work trimming their roster to 53 players ahead of Tuesday’s cutdown day. Most roster decisions will result in players getting cut, but we could see a few trades before the deadline.

If we know anything about General Manager Ryan Poles, he isn’t shy about trading. In his short tenure with the Bears, he’s traded away Roquan Smith, traded for Chase Claypool, and swung the biggest deal in team history when dealt the No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers.

Naturally, when speculation about possible surprise trade candidates occurs, Bears players must make the list. And according to Pro Football Focus, wide receiver Darnell Mooney deserves a spot. He was listed among the surprise trade possibilities at this year’s 53-man roster deadline.

“It would come as a major surprise if the Bears entertained the idea of actually moving on from Darnell Mooney, but it would be less surprising if Mooney was a bit frustrated with the lack of progress in extension conversations to this point in the offseason and was open to a change of scenery,” PFF’s Brad Spielberger wrote. “Mooney went from the No. 1 receiving option in 2022 to sharing targets with D.J. Moore and Chase Claypool, and Chicago was a distant dead last in pass attempts, completions and yards last season. While they figure to take a massive leap forward, perhaps Mooney wants more volume in a pivotal contract year.”

While I get the “why” behind Mooney as a potential trade candidate, I don’t see any chance the Chicago Bears would consider moving him. Mooney embodies everything Poles and coach Matt Eberflus have preached since their arrival, he’s a leader with a top-shelf work ethic. When healthy, he’s a fantastic receiver too.

Trading Darnell Mooney would be like taking two steps forward one step back. The addition of DJ Moore to a receiver room that includes Mooney pushes the Bears’ pass-catchers into a new tier. If Mooney is traded, Chicago would be left with players like Velus Jones Jr. or Equanimeous St. Brown as starters. Not great.

Mooney is a big piece of the Chicago Bears’ plan in 2023, even if his place on the roster in 2024 is a great unknown.