Where does the Chicago Bears WR room rank after adding D.J. Moore?
By Evan Bruner
The Chicago Bears trading the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 Draft to the Carolina Panthers was noteworthy for several reasons. Whenever the highly-coveted top selection on any draft changes hands, it’s bound to make headlines, and that’s exactly what happened last Friday when the deal was announced.
Initially slated to pick ninth, the Panthers were unlikely to have a shot at a premier quarterback prospect. Instead of going after a bridge quarterback and reassessing in a year, the Panthers took the initiative and will now have their pick of the litter.
While the Panthers' side of the trade is fairly simple, the Bears' isn’t. The team gained two first and two second-round picks as draft compensation. This return is about what many were hoping for, and the importance of early draft picks cannot be overstated.
Along with this slew of draft picks, the Bears also snagged arguably Carolina’s most valuable offensive asset, in wide receiver D.J Moore. To many, this came as a surprise, as Moore was on a team-friendly and was clearly the Panthers’ best wide receiver.
For Chicago, Moore’s arrival fills a gaping need that plagued the franchise in 2022. From a talent and skill perspective, Moore is the best wideout on Chicago’s roster by a wide margin. But what might be even more important is that Moore is perceived to be far superior to any of the free-agent wide receivers.
This takes a lot of pressure off Ryan Poles. Instead of being forced to overpay for a wideout in free agency or use an early pick on what’s believed to be a below-average wide receiver draft class, the Bears now have a young, proven talent that immediately changes the complexion of the receiver room.
The question isn’t whether Moore makes the Bears wide receiver unit better; it’s a matter of how much. Chicago had arguably the single worst group of receivers in 2022, and the Chase Claypool trade did little to change that.
With the 2023 offseason underway, here is where the Bears’ wide receiver unit ranks among NFL teams.