Bears wide receiver DJ Moore was the Chicago Bears’ prize of last offseason, as general manager Ryan Poles relinquished the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft in a trade with the Carolina Panthers.
The move was a resounding success. Moore immediately became the explosive, shifty receiver that fans hoped he would be, dominating targets in the pass game as he established an elite connection with then-Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
Chicago finished with a disappointing 7-10 record despite Moore’s career season, which meant that major shakeups to the roster were imminent. Poles made good on that sentiment, bringing in a plethora of offensive playmakers such as running back D’Andre Swift, tight end Gerald Everett and Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen, among others.
Allen was, by and large, Chicago’s biggest swing of the offseason, overhauling a major need at the WR2 spot with another stellar number one receiver. It could be speculated that Moore would not be a big fan of the move, as he now has to compete with another accomplished pass-catcher for targets. Additionally, those targets will not come courtesy of Fields, who was traded to the Steelers, so that potent chemistry the two had will now be reset to a clean slate.
Any rumors of Moore’s discontent with his receiving colleague were quickly cleared up after Moore went on Chicago’s local 670 The Score and shared his perspective on the matter: “If we’re winning… I don’t really care.”
In fact, Moore senses there could be some friendly competition between him and Allen.
“It doesn’t really matter to me,” Moore said. “I know we’ve both talked about how we’re going to complement each other. So I’m just looking forward to that. It might be a race to 1,000 (yards), but that’s just a friendly competition. At the end of the day, if we’re winning, whoever is catching the ball, I don’t really care.”
Moore complimented Allen’s skillset, particularly his route-running ability that’s been well-refined over his 10-year career.
“His game has spoken for it all,” Moore remarked. “He’s a savvy route runner. He sets people up and makes people look silly out there. I’m looking forward to learning from him.”
The Bears’ decision to trade Fields to Pittsburgh was controversial, as the dynamic dual-threat QB had many defenders within the fanbase. Moore was perhaps Fields’ most devout fan: he publicly went to bat for his quarterback last season. When Moore was prompted to discuss his feelings on the Fields’ trade, he recalled the same thing he posted on X (formerly Twitter) when the fateful deal went down: “business is business.”
“Whoever we get, I’m going to be excited to work with,” Moore said. “Business is business. Nobody wanted (Fields) to go, but at the end of the day, that’s what the organization made the plans to do.”
The question of “who will the Bears get?” to fill a Fields-sized hole at the quarterback position already has a cemented answer. It’s widely perceived by the fans, media and league officials that Chicago will take USC’s Caleb Williams with the first pick in the 2024 NFL draft, who’s universally projected to be a generational passer in the NFL.
Williams will have to work hard to win the affection of the city that claims him: several players and a sizable portion of the Bears’ faithful wanted to give Fields one more chance to take the team to the postseason. Williams’ long road to becoming Chicago’s franchise QB is rapidly approaching.
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