During the first padded Chicago Bears' training camp, as a nod to the creativity head coach Ben Johnson brought with him from his time as the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator, reporters took notice of wide receiver DJ Moore lining up as a running back.
Things took a turn toward being meaningful when Moore took a handoff like a running back would and scored a touchdown during "Family Fest" at Soldier Field. While being deployed as a runner is not a new thing for Moore, he fully embraced the extra work being put on his plate by the coaching staff. With so many talented pieces in the offense, finding ways to get everyone involved is a tough task.
Through three games, as fully acknowledged by Johnson, the Bears' ground game has not come together as hoped. D'Andre Swift has been dealing with a quad injury recently, but he has not gotten it done and rookie Kyle Monangai needs more time to find his footing.
Evolution of DJ Moore's role in Bears' offense has not been a passing fad
According to Pro Football Focus, Moore has lined up in the backfield for 11 snaps over the first three games this season. He has six carries or 15 yards to go with his 12 catches for 135 yards so far.
As Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times noted, Moore is on pace for 34 rush attempts this season. That would easily top his previous career-high of 14, set last season, but Moore called preparing to play two positions part of his "daily routine" with the big picture in mind and he said has no concerns about his durability.
"I’m cool with it,” Moore said. “It gets everybody on the field and keeps the defense off balance.”
At 6-foot and 213 pounds, Moore's body type is different than the similarly built Swift (5-foot-8, 204 pounds) and Monangai (5-foot-8, 207 pounds). Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle talked about the confidence in Moore being able to function like a typical running back and the advantage lining him in the backfield can give the Bears' offense.
"You don’t really know what we’re going to do when he’s back there,” Doyle said. “It’s not like he’s a one-trick pony. We feel really comfortable with him doing a number of those running back jobs.”
Read more: PFF reveals how Luther Burden can elevate the Bears offense moving forward
Even with Johnson's willingness to think outside the box, Moore lining up as a running back was easy to set aside as a training camp experiment that wouldn't lead to much. But now, in some deference to the run game's struggles early in the season, it has become a legit part of the Bears' offense.