DJ Moore Will Not Be Back with Chicago Bears in 2013
Oct 7, 2012; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Chicago Bears cornerback D.J. Moore (30) talks on the bench during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Nickel back DJ Moore will be taking his painted nose, funny haircut and ball hawking on the road. The Chicago Tribune’s Vaughn McClure first reported that the Chicago Bears have informed the free agent cornerback that he’s not going to be back next season:
Bears officially inform D.J Moore he is no longer in the team's plans. Might be the start of other roster changes.
— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) March 5, 2013
The former fourth round draft out of Vanderbilt pick is set to become an unrestricted free agent as of March 12th, so this isn’t a huge surprise. The Bears are just being proactive in informing him that he won’t be back and to pursue other options.
Moore has been on a roller coaster ride in his 4 seasons with the Bears. He was in and out of former coach Lovie Smith’s doghouse while showing some flashes of former safety Mike Brown’s “Johnny on the Spot” knack for being in the right place at the right time.
In his four seasons with the Bears, DJ pulled in 10 interceptions with two returned for touchdowns. His inconsistency and running his mouth cost him playing time under Lovie Smith and may have scared off the new coaching staff.
What do you think, Bears fans? Is DJ Moore going to be the next Danieal Manning or Corey Graham, guys who struggled with the Bears but went on to bigger and better things with new teams? Should the Bears have considered keeping Moore around for a reasonable price?