There don't appear to be any injury concerns regarding Darnell Mooney at the start of Chicago Bears training camp. Eight months after Darnell Mooney suffered a broken ankle that ended his 2022 season, the Bears' receiver has been cleared to practice.

Bears General Manager Ryan Poles told reporters on Tuesday that Mooney is cleared, though the team won't push him too hard in his return. The encouraging Moony injury update comes two and a half weeks before Chicago is scheduled to play its first 2023 preseason game.

Mooney's season-ending injury coincided with the Bears failing to play competitive football down the stretch of the season. Including the contest in which Mooney got hurt, Chicago lost six straight games by an average of 17.3 points. The Bears lost four games in a row before Mooney suffered the injury, though three of those contests were decided by three points or fewer. Chicago finished with the worst record in the NFL.

Mooney was one of Justin Fields' few reliable targets last year. Even though he was limited to 12 games, his 493 yards ranked first among Bears receivers for the season. Mooney had 81 catches for 1,055 receiving yards as a second-year player in 2021.

There will be far less of a burden on Mooney in 2023. The Bears traded for DJ Moore, who is in line to be Chicago's No. 1 receiver. Chase Claypool will start his first full season in Chicago after coming over at the trade deadline.

There are high hopes for Fields to take a leap and become a Pro Bowl quarterback in 2023.