Where does David Moore fit into the Chicago Bears WR group?
Late this week, the Chicago Bears added another wide receiver to their group. Bears fans can now rejoice, right? Ryan Poles brought in a WR1 for Justin Fields, right? Obviously, that’s the case, but that doesn’t make this signing by Poles a bad move. Instead, the signing of David Moore is actually a very underrated move in my opinion.
When Justin Fields was compared to current and past NFL quarterbacks, a taller Russell Wilson was the comparison. A quarterback who prefers to throw from the pocket, but has the speed and elusiveness to move around, escape the pocket, and use his legs as necessary. They also have big arms with above-average deep ball accuracy.
David Moore has a great shot at making the Chicago Bears 53-man roster
Well, David Moore has had his best seasons while playing with Russell Wilson in Seattle. A seventh-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Moore made the best of his opportunities once he saw the field in his sophomore season. He spent four years with Seattle and found a way to reach the end zone consistently for a guy who was not a top option in the offense. David Moore put up 13 touchdowns in three seasons (2018-2020). He started 14 games for the Seahawks and gained 1,163 yards on 78 catches.
The downfall here and why David Moore is available is his inconsistencies. If you watch Moore, he honestly plays very similarly to Darnell Mooney. He can line up all over the field, he was used at times on little jet sweeps and outside WR screens. He isn’t as fast as Mooney though and he is a bigger, thicker receiver, but he still has the game speed to be a vertical threat.
What Moore does well is switch gears with slight stutter steps in his routes that give him just enough separation. What makes Darnell Mooney a better wide receiver is his ability to use his hips and body to break off multiple routes. I find Moore’s route tree to be somewhat limited. Mooney can run basically everything. That said, I think Moore would make for a solid backup to Mooney — a guy who can come in and fill in for a few downs when needed and still find the end zone.
David Moore has also been inconsistent catching the football. At times, he looks like one of the best ball catchers in the NFL. He is patient and doesn’t let the ball come into his body to make a catch. Instead, he puts plays on tape of himself toe-dragging and making tough catches. However, he also just doesn’t make plays at times either. In 2018 and 2019, he averaged less than a 50% completion percentage. Yikes. He did catch over 74% of his targets in 2020 though.
I think David Moore has a very good shot at making the 53-man roster despite not finding any action in 2021. He is someone I think beats out the likes of Isaiah Coulter and Nsimba Webster. It will come down to how many draft picks Ryan Poles uses on the WR position and also who is cut after the draft. This is not anything like the Byron Pringle signing, but again, I think he has some solid value as a depth signing for the Chicago Bears.