The Atlanta Falcons have not yet made a decision on whether wide receiver Darnell Mooney will play in the team’s season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The game is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Head coach Raheem Morris described Mooney as “day-to-day,” a sentiment echoed by offensive coordinator Zac Robinson earlier this week. Mooney himself said Thursday that his status will be determined at game time.
“If he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go,” Morris said. “If he’s not, he won’t be.”
Both teams are required to submit their final injury reports to the NFL on Friday, which may list Mooney as questionable or doubtful. The Falcons could wait until Sunday before making a final determination.
Mooney has been participating in practice since last Thursday but only in a limited capacity after injuring his right shoulder during the first open training camp session on July 24. He had not practiced since then due to soreness and stiffness in his shoulder, which was also injured last season and caused him to miss the team’s Week 18 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers.
“I’ve been like a ghost for the last month,” Mooney said. “So glad to be back.”
Mooney declined to provide details about his injury but indicated he feels prepared both mentally and physically.
“I feel good,” Mooney said. “I mean, I don’t know about any percentage wise. Mentally, I feel good. Physically, I feel good.”
After signing with Atlanta last offseason, Mooney recorded 64 receptions for 992 yards and five touchdowns over 16 starts—14 with quarterback Kirk Cousins and two with Michael Penix Jr., who became the starting quarterback in Week 16.
Penix emphasized efforts this offseason and throughout this week to maintain chemistry with Mooney despite his absence from most of training camp.
“Any opportunity I can, I get some throws with him,” Penix said. “That’s the biggest thing. We’ve got special teams period. If I’m not doing anything, I call him over, get some throws with him. Just so that we can continue to stay on point with that. And obviously, I feel like we had a really good offseason. So, I don’t feel like it’ll be a setback or anything like that.”
Robinson mentioned having contingency plans if Mooney cannot play, including relying on wide receiver Casey Washington who filled in during preseason games while Mooney was out.
Despite these preparations, coaches say they are mainly being cautious ahead of Sunday’s matchup.
“We’ve got a chance to wait up until that last minute,” Morris said. “Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to see one of our better players out there.”
