The Chicago Bears are well-focused on the current roster ahead of Week 1 under new head coach Ben Johnson, though cutdown day does offer an opportunity to look around the NFL and see what the rest of the teams are doing.
Some decisions the Bears make will ultimately backfire, and while this is a team with heightened expectations that could make a playoff push as soon as this year, not every decision that general manager Ryan Poles has made was a good one.
Despite having D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze with a promising skill-position group, Chicago let one of the better complementary receivers in the NFL go when Darnell Mooney left. Now, he's one of the bigger beneficiaries of roster cuts with his new team.
The good news for the #Falcons is no injured reserve for WR Darnell Mooney (shoulder), who has not practiced since the first day of camp.
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) August 26, 2025
Ex-Bears WR Darnell Mooney Gets Great News from Falcons at Roster Cutdown Day
As reported by Atlanta Falcons insider Marc Raimondi, Darnell Mooney was not placed on injured reserve amid the reduction of rosters to 53 players. That bodes well for his potential to play in Week 1 but even if he doesn't, the organization clearly believes he'll be back within the first month.
Roster cuts often tell the story of how a team views its injuries. If they load up at a position, it's fair to think they're worried about the availability of some guys early in the season.
Though Atlanta did keep seven wideouts, they let go of players like D.J. Chark while prioritizing special teams guys such as Jamal Agnew. That suggests they have other purposes for the backend of the position group and don't expect significant contributions specifically on offense, which makes sense if Mooney will be back sooner rather than later.
Originally a fifth-round pick by the Bears in 2020, Mooney spent his first four seasons in Chicago and even put up a 1,000-yard receiving season in his sophomore year. He had 64 catches for 992 yards and a career-high five TDs with Atlanta despite mediocre quarterback play, so this is an opportunity for him to eclipse 1,000 yards again and form chemistry with Michael Penix Jr. It's hard not to ignore the fact that the Bears would be a more dangerous offense with him.
Mooney has two years left on his contract and likely wants to prove himself worthy of an extension in the offseason. He's making roughly $30 million over the next two years combined but if he has an excellent year with a gunslinger like Penix, he could easily demand a significant raise.
That depends on his health though, but based on Atlanta's decisions on Tuesday, it looks like he has nothing to worry about.