The Chicago Bears trading DJ Moore was something that felt inevitable and only a matter of time, and on Thursday, news broke that the Bears would be sending Moore to the Buffalo Bills. It makes sense, as the Bears get a ton of cap relief, some NFL Draft compensation back, and Moore reunites with Joe Brady, who is now Buffalo's head coach.
The next step for Chicago might be to clear a bit more cap space and then really get moving on a Maxx Crosby trade, but that isn't a guarantee one way or another as of yet. What this does immediately give Chicago is a good bit of cap relief, as Moore was going to have a cap hit approaching $30 million.
The Bears did subtract from their offense with this move, and it does also unveil a slightly smaller problem some fans may ignore with all the fanfare.
Who is going to be the WR3 on the Chicago Bears after DJ Moore's departure?
In 2025, Moore was second on the team with 682 receiving yards, but Rome Odunze ended up with 661 yards in just 12 games. Rookie Luther Burden had 652 in 15 games.
Heading into 2026, it's clear that Burden and Odunze are going to be the two top players at the receiver position, which is great, and frankly, could end up being one of the best duos in the NFL, but with Moore now out of the picture, who is going to be that WR3 option for Caleb Williams?
Olamide Zaccheaus is a free agent, and his impact might not be enough to return as that third option. With the freed-up cap space from this trade, the Bears could get aggressive for players like Maxx Crosby and even Tyler Linderbaum, but that could also force the team to either go bargain-bin shopping in free agency for receiver help or perhaps force them to dip into the 2026 NFL Draft for that player.
Given that Chicago is trying to get into Super Bowl contention, it might be more likely that the team pursues a modest free agent signing to try and fill out that WR3 role. Someone who could fit that role is Hollywood Brown, who has recently spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Christian Kirk is also a free agent and might be willing to take a cheaper deal, but this is much easier said than done. If the Bears turned to the 2026 NFL Draft, players like Ted Hurst, Skyler Bell, and CJ Daniels could be on the board when Chicago's fourth-round pick comes up with the 129th selection.
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Sure, a trio of Colston Loveland, Burden, and Odunze being the pillars of the passing attack is outstanding, but those depth pieces are still vitally important.