Ten Most Important Bears Players: DJ Moore |
Ryan Poles has made many questionable decisions since taking over the Chicago Bears GM duties, but 2023 saw him make moves to finally help this franchise. Not only did he spend a boatload of money in free agency to help improve the defense, but he also made a pair of trades that not only landed this team two franchise-caliber players but also altered the future of this franchise.
The first of those trades will go down as the most important trade Poles has ever made as he traded for DJ Moore from Carolina last season in exchange for the Bears top pick. As part of that deal, the Bears got the Panthers first-round pick in 2024, which turned out to be the top overall selection this season. That pick had more value than anyone expected. It has been a while since the Bears had a bonafide game-changing WR, as the names Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey come to mind. Moore not only proved he was a bonafide No. 1 option, but he emerged as one of the game's best weapons on the field, which is why he is the second most important player on this year's team. After forming a great relationship with Justin Fields last season, Moore has a new man throwing him passes this season and will now have to create a relationship with him. That shouldn't be an issue, as Moore has been putting in a ton of time to get to know Caleb Williams so that he can hit the ground running when training camp opens in a few weeks. Now, Moore will be faced with the pressure of surpassing the totals he put up last season and will have to do that while attracting everyone's No.1 CB. One thing he has going for him is the number of weapons the Bears have added to the offense. Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze give the Bears two additional playmaking WRs, making it hard for anyone to double up Moore. Teams tried to do that last season, but with the Bears struggling as much as they did, Moore put up the best season he has ever had. The next question is whether that can continue for the long haul, as he still has a few years remaining on his contract. Not the biggest WR in the world at 5-11 and 210 pounds, Moore makes up for his lack of size with sheer speed, agility, and overall athleticism, which makes him a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Initially drafted out of the University of Maryland by the Carolina Panthers in 2018, Moore was always one of their top WR options and quietly put together an outstanding five-year run with them. During his time in Carolina, Moore never had fewer than 788 yards receiving, which came in his rookie season. He also had three straight 1000-yard seasons from 2019 to 2021. During that time, he also picked up 12 TDs (four coming each season), as the TD factor wasn't a significant part of his game. That all changed once he arrived in Chicago, as the big-play threat was still there, but finding the end zone finally became a priority of his. During his first season in Chicago, Moore hauled in a career-high 96 receptions for 1364 yards, which was also a career-high. Coming off a career-high seven TDs in 2022, Moore upped the ante again in 2023 to finish with a new career-high eight TDS and now has 15 of his 29 career scores the past two seasons. Those numbers alone landed him as one of the best receivers in the game, and bigger things are to come for him in 2024. It has been a long time since the Bears could say they have a game-changing player on offense capable of scoring every time they touch the ball. Moore is one of those players, and for the Bears' offense to take that next step as a unit, he will need to continue to be the leader. With the offensive additions the Bears have made this offseason, especially at the WR position, it will not shock anyone to see him have the best season of his career. If that happens, that also means that Williams is doing what is expected of him at the QB position, which will lead to a great season in the Windy City.
