There has been no player on the Atlanta Falcons more disappointing than Darnell Mooney, as his dismal 2025 has become impossible to ignore. Just a season after he firmly re-established himself as a starting-caliber wideout, he's enjoyed a stark fall-off that goes far beyond questionable play-calling.
In the Dirty Birds' crushing Week 10 defeat, the 28-year-old caught just one of eight targets for 17 yards and logged multiple costly drops on the game. And things have gotten so bad that even Raheem Morris has admitted just how disappointing the rapport is between Mooney and Michael Penix Jr.
However, it isn't Penix who is running the veteran wideout of town. Even when the Tulane product is given opoortunities to make an impact, he's still managed to squander them. If Mooney comes up clutch just once in Berlin, then maybe we aren't discussing an overtime loss against the Colts.
Even Raheem Morris is starting to lose faith in Darnell Mooney
Week 10 marked the third consecutive game where the sixth-year receiver was held to just one reception and under 20 receiving yards. While Drake London shined with another 100-yard game on Sunday morning, Atlanta's glaring lack of receiver depth behind him became a serious issue.
After signing a three-year, $39 million deal with the Falcons last offseason, that contract has started to do more harm than good. He came just short of 1,000 receiving yards in 2024, but Mooney's caught just 13 passes for 190 yards this season. Talk about a disheartening fall from grace.
A mix of Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts have started to operate as Atlanta's WR2 in his place, but his job isn't in any jeopardy. And that's mainly because Casey Washington, David Sills V, and Khadarrel Hodge have been just as inconsequential for one of the NFL's most disappointing offenses.
Part of why Zac Robinson's offense has been so terrible is because London is the only true downfield threat. Terry Fontenot signed Mooney because of his capabilities as a vertical threat, but the absence of that element has helped lead to Robinson's unit becoming as vanilla and predictable as it gets.
The 2020 fifth-round pick by the Bears has enjoyed an inconsistent start, but his talent certainly can't come into question. The unfortunate truth is that his chemistry with Kirk Cousins was far better than it is with Penix, but there's more than meets the eye with this growing saga.
They didn't get any reps in training camp together since Mooney was sidelined with a shoulder injury, and he's been playing through a hamstring injury for most of the season. That's why outwardly cutting him would be a bad idea, but the team certainly needs to address receiver during the 2026 NFL Draft.
But if Morris' words are any indication, absolutely nothing will change any time soon, especially despite Penix's inconsistent first season as a starter.