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The Atlanta Falcons narrowly missed out on the playoffs last season, but they have their eyes firmly set on that goal in Michael Penix Jr.’s first full season as the starter in 2025.
There is plenty of hope in Atlanta during the first week of training camp as the Falcons get ready for their 2025 campaign, but some of that optimism was quickly extinguished on Friday. Starting wide receiver Darnell Mooney suffered a shoulder injury diving for a ball and will likely be out for a few weeks, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic.
“Falcons WR Darnell Mooney will miss ‘a few weeks’ due to a shoulder injury, a team official said,” Kendall reported on X, formerly Twitter. “Mooney left Thursday’s practice, Atlanta’s first, after falling diving for a deep ball from Penix. After being helped up, Mooney walked off the practice field.”
That is bad news for the Falcons, even though it seems like Mooney will be back long before the start of the regular season. Still, this is valuable time for a receiver to build chemistry and get reps with his young quarterback, so this is a disappointing setback.
Mooney is expected to be the second target for Penix this season behind star wide receiver Drake London, with the former Chicago Bears receiver providing some of the speed and big-play ability for this Atlanta pass-catching unit. He had one of the best seasons of his career last season, catching 64 balls for 902 yards and a career-high five touchdowns.
The Falcons have two weeks before their preseason slate gets underway on Aug. 8 against the Detroit Lions, so Mooney still has plenty of time to get back on the field and get acclimated before the regular season gets going. Atlanta gets its quest going in 2025 on Sept. 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC South clash.
If for some reason Mooney ends up missing longer than expected and this injury starts to linger, the Falcons just signed veteran wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. on the open market to add an extra body to that room. Chark is not as explosive as he once was, but he is a capable body who can eat some snaps if Mooney has to miss any time.
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