Darnell Mooney or Chase Claypool: Which Bears WR will have a bigger season?

With the full-squad mandatory minicamp over, the Chicago Bears will break until Training Camp begins on July 25.

While OTAs and minicamps are a good place for the skill position players to shine, two wide receivers were noticeably absent: Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney. One of the largest question marks heading into this season is the health and production of these two young receivers.

With DJ Moore expected to command the lion’s share of the attention and targets, there will still be plenty of opportunities for either Claypool or Mooney to separate. The Bears have certainly left themselves open by not signing either to a long-term extension during this offseason. Let’s do a quick comparison of the two players.

The Tangibles

From a strictly physical perspective, it’s clear why Claypool was the higher draft pick. He is a physical freak, and aside from speed, he measures better than Mooney in every category. With DJ Moore measuring only 6’0”, I’m sure the Bears would love to have someone with that size lining up on the other side.

Advantage: This was a fairly easy choice for Claypool

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Production

Since Claypool and Mooney entered the NFL in the 2020 draft, we can make a more even comparison regarding their production.

• While their yardage is pretty equal, Mooney has a significantly higher Catch % due to his greater number of receptions despite an almost equal target share (299 vs 293)
• While Claypool has a slight touchdown edge over Mooney, nine came during the 2020 season. He has only had three more since
• Additionally, Claypool’s best season was his rookie year in 2020 when he posted a 62/873/9 stat line while playing with a still-healthy Ben Roethlisberger.
• Mooney looked poised for a breakout year after his 2021 campaign (81/1055/4), but injuries and perhaps an underrated departure of Allen Robinson drawing the opposing team’s attention contributed to a disappointing season.
• Both Claypool and Mooney have had to deal with the challenges of catching passes from several backup-level quarterbacks, including Mitchell Trubisky for each.

Advantage: Despite the similar numbers, Mooney was trending in a more positive direction before his injury last season, and therefore the advantage goes to him.

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Availability

Recency bias would make one believe both receivers have trouble staying on the field. However, there doesn’t seem to be a track record of either missing extensive time. One item not shown in the chart above is Mooney’s week 17 ankle injury, which forced him to miss the Wild Card game against the New Orleans Saints in 2021.

Mooney is recovering from a broken fibula, and the Bears have been concerned about his progress to date.

“He’s right on track, and we anticipate him going as soon as possible,” Eberflus said. “He’s going to have a great summer, and he’s really amped up for that summer to get ready for training camp, so we’ll see where it is, and barring any setbacks, he’ll be ready.”

Meanwhile, Claypool has been dealing with “soft tissue stuff,” according to Ebeflus, and it sounds like the Bears are taking that day by day. At this point, the expectation is for both players to be available for the Week 1 game against Green Bay.

Advantage: Draw

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Intangibles

While both receivers have drawn praise from starting quarterback Justin Fields, it’s clear that his relationship with Mooney is far more seasoned than that with Claypool. This is only natural since Claypool came over midway through last season. In addition, there have been mixed reports about Claypool and his motivation/work ethic during the offseason. Whether these are true is unclear, but it’s certainly not a positive topic you want to have coming off a disappointing 2022 campaign.

Advantage: Until we see Fields and Claypool click on the field, the edge has to go to Mooney.