An effort to add to DJ Moore's role in the Chicago Bears' offense has come to fruition through three games, but what hasn't come yet is production along the lines of what he had done in his career. He had a touchdown in Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys, but he has just 12 catches for 135 yards as Rome Odunze has become the Bears' No. 1 wide receiver.
Pro Football Focus route depth data shows Moore is being deployed in a more ideal fashion than he was last season. It's a small sample of course, but 43.8 percent of his targets had been behind the line of scrimmage or short (0-9 yards downfield) compared to 67.9 of his targets coming between those two depths in 2024.
A memorable missed downfield connection with Caleb Williams came in Week 1, when Moore adjusted his route on the fly and Williams was unable to deliver a catchable ball. Even if he's the No. 2 receiver now, there seems to be room for Moore to produce as those finer details get worked out.
ESPN analyst reveals path to DJ Moore having a Week 4 breakthrough
Among three key stat trends that could determine the winner of some Week 4 games, ESPN's Seth Walder wondered, "Could DJ Moore get going against the Raiders?"
"ESPN receiver scores returned this week, and Moore was surprisingly the No. 1 player. It was a surprise considering Moore's start to the season has been relatively pedestrian: 12 receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown. But the open score indicates Moore (and perhaps the scheme) has been doing its job, so there could be a whole lot more yards in his future."
Moore was not only surprisingly the No. 1 player in ESPN's "Open Score" with a 97 mark through Week 3, the gap between him and second place Jaylen Waddle (85) is the same as the gap between Waddle and two players who are tied with the 12th-best "Open Score."
Walder then pointed to a matchup Moore should have quite a bit on Sunday.
"The spike could start as soon as this week. Though Moore moves around in his alignment, he plays as an outside receiver on the left side more than anywhere else. That should match him up against Raiders cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly, who has allowed 1.5 yards per coverage snap, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That is not only much higher than average for an outside corner, but it's also the highest among Raiders defenders with at least 75 coverage snaps this season."
Read more: Extra role in the Bears' offense for DJ Moore has been more than a camp gimmick
Blu Kelly's overall PFF grade through three games (55.8) is No. 66 out of 99 qualifying cornerbacks, and his 55.5 coverage occupies the same ranking. The Bears' offense has a few paths to profit in the Las Vegas secondary, but going against Blu Kelly looks to be just what Moore needs to have a breakthrough game and put his 2025 season on a better track.