The Bears are hoping to see their offense take a leap forward this season and part of their plan to help set that in motion was the acquisition of wide receiver DJ Moore in the trade that sent the first overall draft pick to Carolina.
Moore caught 364 passes in five seasons with the Panthers and Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has been impressed by his first chances to see the skill set that helped Moore pile up those receptions. Eberflus mentioned Moore’s speed at the top, but noted that there’s more to the package.
“The first thing I [noticed] is speed,” Eberflus said, via NBCSportsChicago.com. “I just saw that yesterday, and I was like ‘wow.’ There’s a different gear there, you know? That was exciting to see yesterday. . . . It’s rare when you’ve got a guy that can run the route and have the route discipline that he has and the football IQ that he has, and then also that speed and that talent he has.”
The Bears also have Darnell Mooney back from injury and Chase Claypool on hand for the entire season, so the hope will be that the upgraded receiving corps helps quarterback Justin Fields make the kind of growth as a passer that the Bears will need in order for their offense to truly take flight in 2023.