NFL News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Power Rankings

Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore. Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Bills finally add WR in trade agreement with Bears, but is DJ Moore the right choice?

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Mar 5, 2026 2:00 PM ET

The Buffalo Bills have finally added a wide receiver, but he may not be the one who helps the team reach the mountaintop.

The Bills sent a 2026 second-round pick to the Chicago Bears on Thursday for wide receiver DJ Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick, via NFL Media's Tom Pelissero. The trade will become official when the new league year begins on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.

The deal will reunite Moore with Bills first-year head coach Joe Brady, whom he played for from 2020-21, when he served as Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator. The wideout had two of the most productive years of his career under the offensive-minded coach. Brady hopes he produces similar results in Buffalo, but he may soon find the star has lost his juice.

Why DJ Moore trade may flop for Bills

Moore, who turns 29 on April 14, is coming off one of the worst years of his career. In 17 regular-season games in 2025, he logged career lows in receptions (50) and receiving yards (682). WR Khalil Shakir, who led the Bills in receiving yards in 2025, had more (719 on 95 targets) than Moore did last season.

All trades can become official when the new league year begins next Wednesday. https://t.co/QzouCBH0E5
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 5, 2026

The underwhelming numbers stem from a coaching change. Last season, Ben Johnson replaced Matt Eberflus as Bears HC, and he reduced the WR's role. Moore had 85 targets in 2025, his lowest mark since his rookie season in 2018 (82).

Brady's offense frequently leaned on Moore in 2020 and 2021. The 2018 first-round pick recorded the second-most receiving yards (1,193 on 118 targets) in his career in 2020. The following season, the pass-catcher had a career-high 163 targets and the fourth-most receiving yards in his career (1,157). (The former Panthers OC was fired after a 5-7 start in 2021.)

A smart coach in Johnson, however, limited Moore's role for good reason: He's no longer WR1 material. Per Pro Football Focus, he averaged a career-low 1.22 yards per route run (a player's receiving yards divided by the number of routes they ran) in the regular season in 2025. That tied for 71st among 97 eligible WRs.

Plus, he seemed to be loafing at times. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw a costly interception in overtime of a 20-17 NFC divisional-round loss to the Los Angeles Rams this past season. But while breaking down the play, former NFL QB Chase Daniel noted Moore slowed in the middle of his route, allowing Rams safety Kamren Curl to grab the pass.

"The lack of effort by No. 2 is really telling...you can't give up on a route like this," The Athletic/ESPN analyst said on X.

You can’t blame Caleb Williams for the INT in OT….. the Bears have the absolute perfect play called

The lack of effort by #2 is really telling….you can’t give up on this route like this. #DaBears pic.twitter.com/E584tOmEQR
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) January 19, 2026

The Bills are counting on Moore being the missing piece QB Josh Allen needs to win his first Super Bowl ring. However, it appears he's not that.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

More must-reads: