Fox Sports’ Greg Olsen offers high praise for Bears WR DJ Moore

With all due respect to Chase Claypool, the last time the Chicago Bears made a high-profile trade for a wide receiver was back in 2012. That’s when then-general manager Phil Emery acquired Brandon Marshall to catch passes from Jay Cutler in a move viewed as the missing piece to unlock Cutler’s maximum upside. The Bears traded two third-round picks for Marshall, who was considered an unpredictable personality in the locker room.

Fast forward to the start of the 2023 offseason, and the Bears were again searching for a bona fide WR1. After a year of Justin Fields throwing passes to the likes of Dante Pettis and Nsimba Webster, GM Ryan Poles’ top priority was upgrading the talent around his franchise quarterback. And he struck quickly to accomplish that goal.

The Bears traded the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Carolina Panthers for a haul of future draft selections, but the most notable return was wide receiver DJ Moore. Much like Marshall in 2012, Moore is an established playmaker who’s considered one of the best all-around pass-catchers in the NFL.

Despite playing in Carolina with a cast of misfit quarterbacks, Moore has managed three seasons with more than 1,100 yards in his career. He scored a career-best seven touchdowns in 2022 and has amassed 364 catches for 5,201 yards and 21 TDs since 2018. He’s just 26 years old.

DJ Moore brings value to the Bears on and off the field

Unlike Marshall, however, Moore is joining the Chicago Bears with a reputation for being a top-tier locker room guy.

“DJ is one of the best dudes that I ever played with,” former Bears and Panthers tight end Greg Olsen said on “Waddle and Silvy Show.” “He doesn’t have a lot to say. He’s not a real flashy guy. He’s not out there trying to make a name. But you talk about a guy who, when the lights go on, is a competitor the way he fights with the ball in his hand.”

A position long known for its outspoken personalities, Moore is a break from the general wide receiver norm. He’s also an exceptional on-field talent, partly because of how dangerous he is whenever the ball is in his hands.

“From the first day we saw him as a rookie when we drafted him, he almost is like part wide receiver, part running back,” Olsen said. “The way he runs with the ball, he’s got a low center of gravity, he’s very strong with the ball in his hand. He looks like a running back when he’s running with the ball, which is not the norm. You know, most receivers are not really looking for contact. They’re not really looking to play physical with the ball in their hand. They do most of their damage before. So DJ is a little different in that regard.”

Moore is now the unquestioned top target in the Bears” passing game. Chase Claypool, whose time in Chicago got off to a slow start in 2022, should settle in nicely as the WR2. Darnell Mooney should thrive in the slot, assuming he’s fully healthy.

The Bears also have youth at receiver, with recent draft picks invested in Velus Jones Jr. (2022 third-round pick) and Tyler Scott (2023 fourth-round pick).

For the first time since the Marshall trade, the Chicago Bears will field a wide receiver corps that can challenge any defense in the NFL. And they have the right leader in DJ Moore.