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Lost amid the questions about Malik Nabers' knee and Isaiah Likely's potential breakout season, is the fact that Darnell Mooney is also poised for a breakout campaign.
So the New York Giants' budding WR2 was named an under-the-radar candidate to bounce back this season by CBS Sports.
Mooney had a dreadful season, plagued both by injuries and horrific quarterback play from the Atlanta Falcons. He finished 2025 with only 32 catches for 443 yards and one touchdown while playing opposite No. 1 wideout Drake London.
Darnell Mooney is an Under-The-Radar Bounce-Back Candidate
No Atlanta receiver had 1,000-plus yards in 2025, even though London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson each had 65-plus catches last year. Mooney was the Falcons' big-play threat but was undercut by Michael Penix Jr.'s inability to get the ball to him in the vertical passing game.
In fact, Mooney has been plagued with substandard QBs throughout his NFL career. Yet, when he did have a solid signal caller throwing him the ball, like with Kirk Cousins in 2024, Mooney had 992 yards and five touchdowns even while playing opposite London.
"Mooney dealt with lingering injuries in 2025 and finished with just 32 catches," Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports wrote. "The Giants would love to see him get back to his 2024 form, when he showed a well-rounded skill set that hadn't been on display earlier in his career."
Darnell Mooney is a Natural Fit for the Giants' Offense
There are valid concerns about Jaxson Dart's ability to throw the deep ball. But Mooney already stands as an upgrade over the Giants' outside receivers from 2025, particularly after Nabers went down with a torn ACL and meniscus in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Giants needed a field stretcher to complement Nabers, and Mooney has been that throughout his career. Even with a dreadful season by his standards, Mooney led all Falcons' qualifying receivers in yards per reception (13.8 in 2025 and 15.5 in 2024).
So Mooney's ability to go deep can take the pressure off Nabers to serve as both a possession receiver and deep-play threat, especially with Nabers' struggles coming back from the knee injury.
Nabers is better as the true possession receiver, though he did do both in his brief stint playing in 2025. Incumbent Darius Slayton has been that deep threat in the past, but he has been inconsistent, scoring just 22 career touchdowns and averaging 15 yards per catch.
But there will be catches for Nabers, Slayton, Mooney and Likely to go around. That should boost the Giants' passing offense from 21st in the league in Dart's second year.
