Ryan Poles has done it once again, and the Bears now have WR DJ Moore on their team as a part of a massive package in which they traded away the first overall pick.
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The Bears were one of the worst NFL teams all year long, but they knew they’d be receiving a high draft pick at the end of the year. Houston seemed to have the number one overall pick all but wrapped up, needing to lose in the final week to secure it.
However, the Texans converted a miracle 4th and 20 against the Colts in the final week of the year, and with the Bears losing, they jumped the Texans in the draft order.
Typically, the number one overall pick is the most highly coveted pick in the draft and teams will do anything to keep it and use it wisely. However, in this draft, many of the teams at the top of the draft order are looking to draft a quarterback with big names in Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, and Will Levis predicted to all perhaps go in the top 10.
With that in mind, the Bears knew they’d be several teams desperate to trade up to ensure they get the franchise quarterback of their dreams, presumably Bryce Young. The Bears already have Justin Fields set as their franchise quarterback, and so the first-overall pick isn’t as valuable to them.
With this in mind, GM Ryan Poles executed a trade to send the first overall pick to the Carolina Panthers for the 9th overall pick, a 2024 first, a 2025 2nd and WR DJ Moore.
DJ Moore expresses his excitement in joining Chicago
Chicago and Carolina are both rebuilding teams, but at least the Chicago Bears can say they have a quarterback in place. DJ Moor was not happy with his situation in Carolina, and he wanted out.
The Bears were predicted to be heavily active in pursuing a wide receiver, and now, they have a top 10-15 receiver in the league, while receiving more draft picks, and losing out on something they didn’t really need. All around it was a massive win, and DJ Moore was thrilled to be a part of it too.
Twitter was amused with his reaction as well.
Moore to take over WR1 in Chicago
The Bears in recent memory have not been a very good team outside of one impressive season in 2018. However, a common thread from now till then has been the fact that they have not had a competent offense.
Before Fields, Allen Robinson assumed WR1 position, and he was good at it, but with subpar QB play from Trubisky, the Bears couldn’t make it very far.
Now, the situation is reversed. The Bears haven’t had a true WR1 the last two years, and that has really hindered Fields’ ability to make plays through the air. DJ Moore should easily change that.
Moore had three consecutive seasons of 1,000+ yards until last year when the Panthers went through several quarterback changes, creating a lot of variability in Moore’s consistency and chemistry.
Moore will be a welcome sight in Chicago, establishing himself as a consistent down-to-down receiver who can also go over the top and make tough catches in traffic.
Also Read: Jimmy Garoppolo News: Top 5 Landing Spots for the Veteran QB Ahead of 2023 Season
