As NFL wide receivers go, the Bears’ DJ Moore is the anti-diva.
Whether he gets 10 targets or two, he’s good. Whether he’s the No. 1 guy or not, he’s good. If he’s wide-open and doesn’t get the ball, he’s not going to throw his quarterback under the bus. If he doesn’t get the call, he moves on to the next play.
If the offense is struggling, he doesn’t even passive-aggressively point the finger at anybody. If the team is losing, he doesn’t panic. Moore has an ego like everyone else — he wants to make plays, and he wants to win. But whether the crowd around his locker is asking about his eight catches for 230 yards in a victory or his two catches for 25 in a loss, it’s never all about him.
So it should be no surprise that Thursday night’s game against the Panthers — the team that drafted him, nurtured him, paid him and then traded him — is not a big deal to him. It’s more than just another game, but he’s out for victory, not vengeance.
“The extra juice comes from [playing on] Thursday night, but not them,” Moore said. “It’s gonna be good to go against them. I’ve been looking forward to it. [But] we still got a thing to accomplish and get this win. . . . I won’t be emotional.”
After five seasons of producing in relative anonymity with Carolina, Moore entered a new world with the Bears after being acquired with draft picks in the trade that sent the No. 1 overall pick (used for quarterback Bryce Young) to the Panthers.
It was a bigger market but also a bigger responsibility as the key weapon the Bears were counting on to unlock quarterback Justin Fields and the offense.
The explosion has yet to happen, but the 6-foot, 210-pound Moore has done his part. In nine games, he has 47 receptions for 735 yards (15.6 yards per catch) and five touchdowns. He’s on pace for 89 receptions for 1,388 yards and nine touchdowns, which would eclipse his best season with the Panthers — 66 receptions for 1,193 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games in 2020.
It has been a disappointing season for the Bears, who were hoping to take a giant leap in Year 2 under coach Matt Eberflus but are 2-7. The offense is ranked 19th in the NFL in points and yards, with Fields playing six games before suffering a dislocated thumb and undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent starting his fourth game in Fields’ place.
But Moore is undeterred by the rocky start.
“It’s played out well,” he said. “I don’t have any hard feelings about being here. I’m loving it here. We’re going to get this thing turned around. That’s going to be the best of it.”
Moore’s production has been a little hit-and-miss. He has three games with 100 or more yards and six with 55 or fewer. But his impact is measured by more than receptions and yards. He has quickly earned the respect of many teammates in the locker room as a dependable leader who speaks up when necessary and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.
“I didn’t watch too much of him prior to him coming here. I didn’t know how he was or all that stuff,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “Seeing him in person and seeing how he can impact a game, he’s a top receiver in this league. As a teammate, he’s a dude that -really does it all. An approachable dude.
“What I respect the most — and he doesn’t get enough credit for — is what he does in the run game. He’s a fierce blocker in the run game, and he’ll stick his nose in there. When the line and guys like myself see that, you earn a lot of respect in the locker room.”
