Ryan Poles talks up Darnell Mooney with Allan…

Getty Images

Former Bears General Manager Ryan Pace used a franchise tag on wide receiver Allan Robinson last year, but never signed him to a long-term contract and that’s left new General Manager Ryan Poles with a decision to make about Robinson’s future in Chicago.

Robinson was limited to 12 games and 38 catches during the 2021 season, which has led many to assume that the veteran wideout will be moving on this offseason. Asked if that was the right thought during a Tuesday press conference, Poles said he’s “not there right now” but his answer about another receiver hints that the team may be allocating resources elsewhere.

Poles called Darnell Mooney a “bright spot” after his 81 catches for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns last season. He also talked about the wideout as the kind of player who can help make positive changes to the culture of the organization.

“He’s got a quiet confidence about him,” Poles said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com. “He’s hungry to be special. I’m always looking for guys that, they’re just raising their own bar in terms of where they want to go. He wants to be special. You can feel that in him. I think we’ve all been around people that want to be the absolute best they can be, and it’s contagious and it gives you energy. It gives you hope. And it really shows me that we have to keep getting guys like that and adding them to the roster. Because if everyone has that mentality and they keep pushing each other, then all of a sudden the team starts to raise the bar and standard. Then it’s wins, then it’s the division and then it’s going for championships.”

Parting ways with Robinson would leave the Bears with a spot to fill on offense as they try to develop quarterback Justin Fields, but that confidence in Mooney may make it easier for them to roll the dice on life without the veteran wideout.