Matt Eberflus watched film of receiver DJ Moore both before and after the Bears decided to trade for him in March. It didn’t prepare the head coach for the speed he witnessed Monday on the first day of Bears OTAs.
“I was like, ‘Wow, there’s a different gear there,’” Eberflus said Tuesday.
Moore’s 4.42-second 40-yard dash and the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine was fifth among receivers in his class. He’s been one of the NFL’s 20 fastest ball-carriers in each of two of the past three years, logging in-game sprints of 21.38 and 21.52 mph.
Unlike some previous Bears acquisitions, though — see Jones, Velus — Moore is more than a speed demon. The precision of his routes and his feel for getting open makes him the most complete receiver that quarterback Justin Fields has thrown to as a pro.
“It’s pretty rare when you’ve got a guy that can run the route, have the route discipline that he has and the [football intelligence] that he has,” Eberflus said.
The Bears need Moore — not just to win games, but to decide whether or not to make a nine-figure commitment to their quarterback next offseason.
“Strength, speed, body control, great hands,” Fields said. “I think he knows how to use his body to get open. I think that’s a big part in receivers. He knows how to tip a route. So he’s rarely ever going to be running 100% on all the routes — he has that second gear to go get the ball.
“I think that’s what makes him a great receiver, just his understanding of the coverages, seeing the defense well and stuff like that.”
Moore’s 5,201 career receiving yards over five seasons would be an all-time Bears record had he done it in navy and orange. Fields’ ability to take advantage of Moore’s skillset — and vice versa — is one of the few tangible gains the Bears can make on a backfield in May.
“As great of a quarterback as you can be or as great as a receiver can be, if there’s not a relationship and a connection between the two of them, then it doesn’t really matter,” offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said earlier this month. “They’re in that phase right now of getting to know each other. …
“Once those two can communicate with each other — body language, quick communication verbally and stuff — all that will get better as we get going.”
Moore thinks he should be in sync with his quarterback “about two to three days” into training camp. What he learns in the next month will go a long ways toward that chemistry.
“Just understanding the game within the game,” Moore said. “So, understanding the quarterback’s footwork on different plays and just being in the right spot when he comes back. If I’m on the back side, just knowing that, ‘Hey, I’m the back side read.’ Or if I am on the front side, understanding his footwork for the front side. Just honing in on that.”
Moore totaled 48.73 percent of the Panthers’ air yards last year — no NFL receiver could claim more. The Bears won’t lean on him that much, particularly if Chase Claypool settles in and Darnell Mooney returns to form after an ankle injury. That unit should be an upgrade over last year; Byron Pringle and N’Keal Harry, passed off as playmakers by the Bears in 2022, remain unsigned as free agents.
Moore makes the Bears’ receiving room make sense. Fields said that him settling in at split end allows the other receivers to focus on their positions. Last year, they moved around interchangeably.
“I think it helps the receivers, if I’m honest,” Fields said. “Of course, DJ’s No. 1.”
