Trade Brings Bears Quality Receiver

D.J. Moore comes to the Bears from Carolina along with bushel basket of early picks over the next three years for the top spot in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The speculation about what the Bears could get in exchange for the first pick in the draft is over.

GM Ryan Poles has what he wanted.

The Bears put themselves in good position for future drafts, obtained an extra pick and also have a new weapon for quarterback Justin Fields after trading the top pick to the Carolina Panthers, according to reports by ESPN and NFL Network. In return for the first pick, they received the Panthers' ninth pick in Round 1, the 61st pick in this year's draft, a second-rounder in 2025 and a first-round pick in 2024.

They also received speedy wide receiver D.J. Moore.

Poles had told Peter King of NBC Sports/Pro Football Talk last week he knew he could get two first-rounders besides a team's first-round pick this year in exchange for the No. 1 pick and was almost right. It was two first-rounders and two second-rounders besides Moore.

The picks for 2024 are key to the deal because it could set the Bears up in good position to either trade those and move up to get USC quarterback Caleb Williams next year if Fields doesn't progress as a passer, or to draft a great deal more talent to continue the rebuild. 

The Bears now have two second-round picks this year, the 53rd and 61st, in addition to the ninth pick.

Carolina will get to take whichever quarterback new coach Frank Reich deems No. 1, with Bryce Young of Alabama getting most of the pre-combine attention.

Moore, who is 6-foot, 210 pounds, will come in to challenge Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool for targets.

He's versatile enough that he plays outside or can go into the slot.

Moore will turn 26 in a few weeks and has had three 1,100-yard seasons as a receiver with a handful of different quarterbacks.

Last year his production dipped to the lowest it's been since his first season when he made 63 catches for 888 yards. He had 87 catches for 1,175 yards in 2019, 66 catches for 1,193 yards in 2020 and 1,157 yards on 93 catches in 2021. Moore has 21 career TD catches, and has run it 39 times for 335 yards.

It's the kind of a move that could open up the field more for the Bears passing game and the 4.42-second speed he showed when he ran at the combine is the type of addition they can also use to complement their running game.

The financial end of this has yet to be explored but Moore is coming up on the second year of a three-year, $61 million deal and his cap cost for this year is just over $20 million. It's not a huge issue to the Bears, who had almost $90 million in effective cap space.

Trades of this magnitude more often are pulled off in April, but at the NFL combine last week Poles hinted he could be looking to make a deal prior to free agency because a player might be involved. This would affect who they would look at in free agency and the draft.

So wide receiver becomes much less of a need for the Bears than before, and the focus will likely be the defensive line, linebacker and offensive line for improvement in free agency and the draft.

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