Tag: Bears rookies

Mike Furrey: Darnell Mooney is one of most explosive guys in WR room

Bears WR coach Mike Furrey believes that rookie WR Darnell Mooney possesses the kind of speed and agility that you can’t coach.

The Chicago Bears offense had plenty of needs following a disastrous 2019 season, ranging from quarterback play to lack of a run game to poor offensive line play.

Something else the Bears offense lacked last season was speed, which general manager Ryan Pace has addressed this offseason with the free-agent acquisition of veteran receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and rookie wideout Darnell Mooney.

Mooney, a fifth-round pick, made a name for himself as a speedy receiver at Tulane, where he averaged 17.7 yards per reception in his final three years. Although Mooney will be the first to say that he wants to be a more complete wideout, there’s no denying that he’s the kind of playmaker the Bears offense could use.

Bears wide receivers coach Mike Furrey believes that Mooney possesses the kind of speed and agility that you can’t coach, which makes him one of the most explosive guys in that room.

“He’s going to probably be one of the most explosive guys that we have in our room in regard to matching his speed with his agility,” Furrey told reporters via video conference. “He can put his foot in the ground and he can go. He can also go side to side. Obviously the first thing that we look at is being able to match his speed and agility with being able to catch the football as well. And there were some times where he put his foot in the ground and would get vertical and go up and attack a football. That’s not really a knack of a lot of guys that play receiver, especially in college.

“It’s hard to coach speed, it’s hard to coach agility. Those things, you either have them or you don’t.”

While Mooney likely won’t see a ton of snaps as a rookie in a crowded receivers room, he has the kind of speed that can stretch the field for an offense that was low on big-time plays a season ago.

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Bears rookies could possibly report to Halas Hall before June 26

The next time the Bears will reunite in person will likely be training camp in late July. But certain players might get an earlier start.

Now that we’ve hit the dead month in the NFL offseason, the countdown is on for training camp when NFL teams will finally reunite on the football field after an entirely virtual offseason. But certain players might be able to get an earlier start than returning veterans.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the NFL and NFLPA are discussing possibly allowing certain players, including rookies and veterans who switched teams that need physicals, returning to team facilities on a limited basis before June 26.

Last week, the NFL allowed coaches to return to team facilities, and there are some that have already done so. But there’s no word on whether Matt Nagy and his coaching staff have returned to Halas Hall.

Obviously, you expect Nagy and his coaching staff to return before certain players would be permitted to, assuming this is something that the NFL and NFLPA come to an agreement on.

As Pelissero noted, it doesn’t appear that there will be minicamps, and the first time all players report to team facilities will likely be training camp in late July.

The NFL’s memo also discussed social distancing measures in the locker rooms, virtual meetings whenever possible, disinfecting equipment and the use of masks.

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Don’t sleep on Bears rookie CB Jaylon Johnson in 2020

There are high expectations for what Bears CB Jaylon Johnson can accomplish in his rookie season.

Despite not having a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears were able to snag two first-round talents in tight end Cole Kmet and cornerback Jaylon Johnson in the second round.

Both selections addressed a need on the roster, and both Kmet and Johnson are expected to see significant playing time as rookies. NFL.com’s Dan Parr examined 25 rookies poised for success in 2020, and Johnson was among them.

Artie Burns and Kevin Toliver are the other options to start opposite Kyle Fuller. In other words, the Bears need Johnson to step up and win that job. The good news is he’s up to the task. Perhaps his history of shoulder surgeries — the most recent one coming in March — scared some teams off and explains why he was available late in Round 2 (50th overall) after many had him pegged as a first-round pick.

Regardless, it’s a great value for a Chicago secondary that gets a feisty corner with the toughness, strength and instincts the team covets. Bears fans shouldn’t have to worry about whether Johnson can defend the island, as the former Ute has shown he can more than hold his own in single coverage over the past couple seasons, recording the FBS’ fifth-best passer rating when targeted (51.4) and the second-best explosive play rate allowed (10.9%), per Pro Football Focus.

Johnson was pegged by many as a top-three cornerback in the NFL Draft, but there were teams concerned by his shoulder injuries that passed on him, which allowed him to fall to general manager Ryan Pace in the second round.

The Bears are looking for a starting right cornerback opposite Kyle Fuller, and Johnson appears to be the clear-cut favorite to win the job in 2020, where he’ll compete with the likes of Kevin Toliver, Tre Roberson and Artie Burns, among others.

There were six cornerbacks taken ahead of Johnson in the 2020 NFL Draft, and it’s a chip that he carries on his shoulders. He’s determined to prove those teams wrong while also aiming to accomplish some significant milestones in his rookie season, including winning the starting job, earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and winning a Super Bowl.

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