Entering this season, Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore had yet to have one quarterback for more than 400 snaps in back-to-back seasons. So last season's lack of ideal rapport with Caleb Williams, despite him having 98 catches, would have an opportunity to get worked with head coach Ben Johnson guiding the offense.
After a bad Week 2 loss to the Detroit Lions, Johnson called out the players' effort. It was easy to think he had Moore somewhere on his mind, but in terms of raw snap share, there was no residual impact on his playing time, and that has stuck chiefly since.
What has lacked for Moore this season is production. Heading into Week 14 against the Green Bay Packers, he was on pace for career lows in catches and receiving yards, and by far his worst season since his rookie season (2016) with the Carolina Panthers.
With Rome Odunze out against the Packers, Moore bumped up to being the Bears' proverbial No. 1 wide receiver. What he did last season against the Packers at Lambeau Field, nine catches for 86 yards and a touchdown, fostered easy optimism about a breakthrough performance in a big game for the team.
But it was not to be.
DJ Moore's future in Chicago is now crystal clear
Moore led the Bears' wide receivers and skill position players in snaps against the Packers (58, an 83 percent snap share). But you're forgiven if, outside of the play where Williams threw an interception to seal the loss, and he appeared to uncover very late (and too late to be thrown to, given Williams' body position and when he committed to his throw), you didn't notice the Bears' highest-paid receiver.
Moore had a career-worst -4 yards on one catch against Green Bay, on three targets. Williams' ongoing struggles with accuracy led to a notable miss on an early play, but Moore had the same number of targets as Olamide Zaccheaus and Cole Kmet did. And the latter two did something with their opportunities, as Zaccheaus had a nice touchdown catch and Kmet had 42 yards on his two catches.
After Williams' late interception, Moore was captured on the sideline, and he clearly was not thrilled. If he expected the ball to come his way, somehow, perhaps he should've run his route a little bit harder than he did.
There's certainly a case for doing better to get Moore the ball in more advantageous circumstances, as Mike Mulligan and David Haugh talked about on 670 The Score's "Mully and Haugh" the morning after the loss to Green Bay. But getting him more involved has never seemed to be a top priority for Johnson, with those post-Week 2 comments as a potential lingering reference point.
During his appearance on "Mully and Haugh" Monday morning, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune discussed Moore's role in the Bears' offense.
"First third down of the game he's open", Biggs said. "Caleb throws for him, and he woulda needed.....you're not talking about a step-ladder, you gotta grab the ladder you use to get out on top of the garage, the throw was that high. So you're looking for him right there, and it moves the chains if that throw is on the money."
Biggs pointed to a game plan against the Packers that included bootlegs for Williams. Not only did that take him out of harm's way, but his options to throw the ball to were also reduced to that half of the field.
Biggs landed on the easy general ideas that Moore should be a bigger part of the Bears' offense, and that he is not is probably a source of frustration for everyone involved.
But if Moore's level of involvement was going to notably change this season, after 13 games would be an odd point for that switch to suddenly flip. If Odunze's missing a game couldn't unlock more for him, what else really could?
Trading Moore before the four-year, $110 million deal the Bears signed him to in 2024, even if it kicks in, would not be ideal, but it would be possible.
Trading Moore before June 1, 2026, would leave behind $12 million in dead money, while clearing $16.5 million in cap space. A post-June 1 trade would shift the cap savings to $24.5 million. However, on March 18, $15.5 million of his 2027 salary becomes fully guaranteed. So that would be the date to trade him by, if it happens.
In any case, the issues with how Moore was used in the Bears' offense last year have morphed into a lack of involvement this year. An exploration of why that's the case lands on an obvious common denominator.
Read more: Caleb Williams' blunt response about final INT won't sit well with Bears fans
Barring an unforeseen change in circumstance over the rest of the season, prior questions about Moore's future in Chicago have moved harshly toward not being questions at all. Even if his dismal outing against the Packers on the road wasn't all his fault, that game now lands as the likely tipping point that'll end up foretelling his offseason departure.