On Thursday morning, the Buffalo Bills opted to shake things up by trading for Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore, sending out draft compensation in return, as reported by NFL insider Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network on X, formerly Twitter. The acquisition of Moore gives quarterback Josh Allen a much-needed downfield weapon, one capable of winning contested jump balls and showing up in the clutch.
Now, Rapoport has added more context to what might have made Moore such an attractive option for the Bills in the trade market.
“Two of DJ Moore's highest productive years with Carolina were 2020-21… with OC Joe Brady,” noted Rapoport on X, formerly Twitter.
Indeed, Moore was a highly productive member of the Carolina Panthers prior to his trade to the Bears, where he worked extensively with then-offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
Brady, of course, was recently promoted from offensive coordinator to the head coaching position in Buffalo after the organization fired long-time head man Sean McDermott.
Coming into this offseason, it was clear that the Bills needed to add more weapons to the wide receiver room to help out Allen. That unit was unreliable at best this past season in Buffalo, with young receiver Keon Coleman not yet materializing into the player the Bills thought they were drafting out of Florida State, and frequently finding himself benched for disciplinary reasons.
While Moore may not be quite the player he was during his heyday with the Panthers, he still produced plenty of big moments for the Bears this past season, including hauling in a game-winning touchdown pass in an overtime game against the Green Bay Packers.
It remains to be seen whether the Bills will look to add some more weapons to their receiver room in free agency this year, which is slated to officially open for business on March 11.
