Ryan Poles has proved over his run as Chicago Bears general manager that he is not afraid to pull off major moves in order to bolster the Justin Fields-led offense. He once again did just that last week, acquiring D.J. Moore and four draft picks from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Fields did not necessarily have a true No. 1 wide receiver to rely on over the course of the 2022 campaign. It was Bears tight end Cole Kmet who wound up leading the team in both receptions (50) and receiving yards (544) last season.
Now, Fields is looking forward to seeing just what Moore will bring to Chicago's offense in the 2023 campaign.
“I'm excited to add a guy like DJ to our offense,” Fields told ChicagoBears.com. “He's proven he can be an explosive playmaker in this league, and I look forward to getting to work with him and the rest of our receivers so we can take the next step as an offense. I've gotten to know him a little bit and I know he's ready to put the work in to help our team win.
“I can't wait to get our whole group on the field together and see how we can put it all together.”
Moore is coming off of a productive five-season run with the Panthers, where he tallied 364 receptions and 21 touchdown catches in 80 total regular season contests played. Moore did not have his way last season, especially as the Panthers had three different players start in at least five games at the quarterback position.
Darnell Mooney is projected to take a step back in the Bears’ wideout depth chart following the team's acquisition of Moore. In the big picture, Mooney sees that the “sky's the limit” for Chicago's offense with Moore now in the fold.
“I'm excited to add DJ to our room,” Mooney told ChicagoBears.com. “Anytime we can add a playmaker to our offense, it makes us all better, and I can't wait to get to work with him.
“We all get a full offseason in this scheme and another year to build on our chemistry with Justin, so I think the sky's the limit for our offense.”
The Bears currently have eight wideouts on their roster, including Chase Claypool.