DJ Moore may have played his final game for the Chicago Bears.
Kevin Fishbain and Dan Wiederer of The Athletic reported Tuesday that “some anticipate significant outside interest in the veteran receiver, estimating that a fourth-round pick or a conditional third could be more than enough to satisfy the Bears, particularly once A.J. Brown’s future in Philadelphia becomes clearer.”
One source called Moore “a pretty comfortable fallback” for teams that are unable to land Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles.
While Caleb Williams just set the Bears’ single-season franchise record for passing yards with 3,942, Moore was actually more productive with Justin Fields under center than he has been with the USC product.
Moore finished the 2023 campaign in Chicago with 96 catches for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns when Fields was under center. The yardage and touchdown numbers were both career-high marks even though he surpassed 1,100 receiving yards in three straight seasons with the Carolina Panthers from 2019 through 2021.
He was nowhere near that effective last season with Williams throwing him the ball and finished with 50 catches for 682 yards and six touchdowns.
However, he did have game-winning touchdown catches in the Bears’ dramatic victories over the rival Green Bay Packers in the regular season and playoffs.
“It’s clear to me Caleb doesn’t have a ton of trust in DJ,” an NFL source told Fishbain and Wiederer. “I don’t think DJ has lost a step or anything like that. All the physical ability is still there. But at times, that’s what it boils down to. If your quarterback, for whatever reason, doesn’t have that trust, there becomes a disconnect.”
Perhaps a change of scenery will help Moore rediscover his old form and net the Bears a draft asset they could use to address areas of need on the defensive line or at the safety spot.
Chicago still has Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze as wide receivers, while Colston Loveland is one of the best young tight ends in the NFL. Williams will still have plenty of targets even if the front office does trade Moore, which is seemingly a legitimate possibility this offseason.
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