Depending on who you ask, New York Giants veteran Darnell Mooney is either going to barely contribute or he’s going to be the No. 1 receiver in Malik Nabers’ absence. Those are pretty significant differences in roles, but it may or may not be the situation Mooney finds himself in.
None of the on-site Giants reporters raved about Mooney during offseason workouts, typically saving their praise for Odell Beckham Jr. and, surprisingly, oft-forgotten receiver Jalin Hyatt.
Yet, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport is still a Mooney believer, listing the ex-Bears and Falcons receiver among the “under the radar” players set to play major roles leaguewide. Back in April, we’d have agreed. But in late June?
Giants fans must accept the harsh Darnell Mooney reality
Davenport argued that Mooney could benefit from his relationship with offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who previously coached Mooney in Chicago. What especially caught our attention, though, was Davenport suggesting that Mooney could become the de facto No. 1 receiver in Malik Nabers’ potential absence.
In Mooney's lone NFL season as a true No. 1 receiver with the Bears, he eclipsed 1,000 yards on 81 receptions. But that was five years ago.
The Athletic’s Dan Duggan has been among those urging caution, recently writing that Mooney looked far more like a “role player” during offseason workouts. All signs point to Beckham receiving a significant amount of snaps, either as a starter or a rotational receiver.
I’ll also personally take the cynical approach in noting that the Giants signed Beckham, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Braxton Berrios earlier this month.
Beckham didn’t play last year, and Smith-Schuster went viral for looking slow and dropping a pass during OTAs. Berrios is a depth receiver, at best.
If the Giants had as much faith in Mooney as Davenport does, then would they have added Beckham and Smith-Schuster? Berrios, who has extensive returning experience, only made sense because Gunner Olszewski tore his Achilles. Assuming that Darius Slayton is good to go for training camp, then Mooney is likely competing for reps as the No. 3 receiver.
Neither offseason workouts nor the preseason is a perfect indicator of what’s to come. Mooney may very well emerge as one of Jaxson Dart’s favorite targets this summer and hold down the fort if Nabers can’t go in Week 1.
But based on all that we’ve seen and heard from Duggan and the reporters who attended OTAs, it’s hard for us to be that confident in Mooney being that impactful.
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