DJ Moore, the NFL’s most underrated receiver in 2023, got the big deal he deserved

There are high expectations for the Chicago Bears offense entering the 2024 season. No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams is expected to break a 75-year streak of epic failure at the franchise quarterback position. The Bears haven’t had a true team-defining playmaker since Sid Luckman retired in 1950. It wouldn’t be great if the quarterback drought was older than rock and roll, but that’s the reality.

Plus, Chicago gave Williams some receiving talent that none of the Bears’ quarterbacks would have enjoyed, drafting Washington receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick, acquiring reliable route pro Keenan Allen in a trade with the cap-constrained Los Angeles Chargers and acquiring above-average tight end Cole Kmet, who has already seen plenty of replay value in whatever the Bears’ passing game is at any given time.

And then there’s receiver DJ Moore.

Moore was initially seen as at best an accomplice. Big trades for 2023 This gave the Carolina Panthers the right to select Bryce Young with the first overall pick in the draft. However, after one season, Moore proved to be the most valuable piece. Sure, the Bears could have acquired Williams with the first overall pick given by the Carolina Panthers, but Moore’s value cannot be predicted like Williams’. In his sixth year in the NFL, this season, Moore had his best overall performance to date. Moore recorded 1,000 yards in three consecutive years with the Panthers from 2019 to 2021, and his ability was somewhat established.

But 2023 was Moore’s first season in which he became what he most coveted: an undisputed No. 1 alpha receiver. Overall, he caught 96 passes on 132 targets for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns. And given the Bears’ overall poor passing game, Moore did all he could to overcome that tendency. Stats and Info from ESPNIn that span, he led the league with 39.9% of the team’s receiving yards. Other than tight end Cole Kmet (73 catches on 88 targets for 719 yards and six touchdowns), no other Bears receiver had more than 34 catches, and only running back Roshon Johnson had more than 34.

“Our best player[s have] “He’s the hardest worker on our team, the best finisher and has to be able to show up to practice, and that’s what DJ is,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said of Moore in June. “He’s super tough, a great teammate and one of the hardest workers and most talented players on our team.”

Moore has been one of the NFL’s most prolific deep receivers, catching 16 passes of 20-plus yards on 32 targets in 2023. No other Bears receiver caught more than five deep passes, including Kmet, who caught one on seven targets. Moore tied with CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys for third in deep receptions behind Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins and Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, making Justin Fields a much better deep passer.

Fields completed 18 of 51 deep passes for 624 yards, seven touchdowns, four interceptions and a passer rating of 89.4 during the 2022 season. Last season, when Moore joined the team, Fields completed 23 of 52 deep passes for 673 yards, eight touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 114.6, good for sixth-best in the NFL among quarterbacks who took at least 50% of their team’s snaps.

That made all the difference.

With Fields now in Pittsburgh and competing with Russell Wilson, it was only natural that Moore re-signed. On Tuesday, it was announced that Moore had signed a four-year, $110 million extension with $82.6 million guaranteed. It’s the largest contract in franchise history for an NFL founding team, and Moore’s guaranteed money is 3rd highest among recipientsThat’s behind Justin Jefferson’s $110 million and AJ Brown’s $84 million.

Moreover, and perhaps most impressively, Moore The first player in NFL history With the first 10 years of his career completely financially secured, Kirk Cousins ​​is likely getting some retail therapy at his local Kohl’s.

“We are very pleased to re-sign with DJ.” Bears general manager Ryan Pauls said in a statement. “We all know he’s an impact player and a difference-maker for our offense, but it’s his leadership and professionalism that makes him a cornerstone of our franchise,” he said after the deal was finalized.

The Bears made a necessary statement that Moore was their top target and deserved the money that came with it, but how did Moore, the 24th overall pick by the Panthers out of Maryland in the 2018 draft, rise to that lofty status?

It’s a lethal combination of speed, toughness and technique.

Moore possesses the rare and highly prized ability to take defenders deep down the field and then, at the ideal time, step up another gear and run through them. This is the rarest form of receiver separation on the field, a vertical element that defines the passing game when it exists and is sorely lacking when it doesn’t.

Moore had the fifth-most off-the-ball targets (69) in the NFL last season and proved he could beat some of the game’s best cornerbacks in a true isolation role. Martin Emerson of the Cleveland Browns was shocked with this 27-yard catch in Week 15. The little slow-play stutter steps at the line of scrimmage, slowing down on the perimeter, and finally adjusting to the ball also show Moore’s contested catch ability.

Moore was just as dangerous as part of a route combination. On this catch against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17, Moore showed cornerback A.J. Terrell (one of the league’s best press cornerbacks) what happens when he makes one false move against him from the slot. If the timing isn’t right, you’re done.

Moore’s combination of vertical power and route understanding makes him especially tough to deal with in off coverage. Moore can run through coverage, exploit cornerbacks, and is willing to play dirty in short spaces. Most of the drills Moore did against passive defenders made it look too easy. Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy was hit the worst on this 36-yard catch in Week 12:

In two games against the Detroit Lions last season, Moore was at his best as a true technician. On a deep catch in Week 14, Moore treated cornerback Jerry Jacobs like an underachieving offensive lineman about to get run over by a hand technique. When done well, it’s a great way to dodge press coverage.

Moore already thoroughly beat Jacobs with the extra gear in Week 11.

Moore also has the versatility you want from a receiver from a route standpoint. Last season, he was just as adept at picking up extra yards on hitches and slants as he was at blowing up defenses with digs, posts, corner routes and over-routes. 550 of his 1,364 yards last season came after the catch. In Week 5, he tore through the Washington Commanders defense with eight catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes was Moore’s go-to guy for quick comebacks, with 141 of his 230 yards coming after Moore secured possession of the ball.

DJ Moore may not have the big name cache of some of the other top receivers, but the Bears clearly understand how valuable he is to what they want to accomplish on offense. Perhaps with more legitimate attention on Chicago’s aerial attack in 2024, it will become clear that this deal wasn’t an overvaluation of Moore’s talent, but simply an understanding by the Bears that he’s a force multiplier on offense.

(All advanced metrics are Pro Football Focus (Unless otherwise noted).