Bears WR DJ Moore has potential to change everything for QB Justin Fields, offense

The Bears have been marveling at wide receiver DJ Moore since the day he arrived as part of general manager Ryan Poles’ trade that sent the No. 1 overall pick to the Panthers. The hype has only grown since he hit the field, and it seems like after every practice someone is raving about a play he made.

It happened again Sunday, this time at Soldier Field, when he wrapped up his day of burning cornerbacks with an impressive touchdown catch against Elijah Hicks during red-zone work. Moore was going right to left across the back of the end zone, then cut back to the goal post as Justin Fields fired the ball to him the moment he came out of his break.

There was no signal, no eye contact. It was just a “faith ball,” Moore said.

Moore’s talent has been undeniable, and he’s a revelation for a franchise that rarely seems to have a playmaker of his caliber. Pretty much any good receiver who sets foot in Halas Hall has a chance to be the best the Bears have ever had.

The only question left for Moore to answer is whether he can live up to the hype — or even exceed it — once the season starts. Will this fall flat like other recent Bears’ dreams, or is Moore rising to a crescendo? As established as he is at this point, he believes he’s still on his way up at 26.

“I definitely am tapping into different things than I was before,” Moore said Sunday as his daughter, Arielle, interjected occasionally. “It might be a new skill set that you all see. But it’s still going to be the same me.”

Even if Moore has peaked and the Bears get merely more of the same of what he did in Carolina, it’s a win. But nearly everyone Poles has been betting on the upside of nearly everyone he has signed or picked up in a trade. He shelled out big contracts for linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and tight end Cole Kmet and traded for wide receiver Chase Claypool thinking all of them were just approaching their prime.

That’s the idea with Moore, too. He was good with the Panthers, but not quite great. He finished top-10 in the NFL in yardage just once and he’s not in the tier of elite difference makers like Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs. Having eight starting quarterbacks in five seasons surely held him back.

The Bears, though, will hinder him similarly if Fields can’t take the next step. Ideally for them, he and Moore will spur each other forward.

One thing they’re looking for from Fields is quicker decisions, and having viable options helps.

There were times last season when there was no prudent choice available. For much of last season, Darnell Mooney was the Bears’ only legitimate starting-caliber receiver.

When Fields took aim at the Super Bowl-bound Eagles, his receivers were Byron Pringle, Dante Pettis, Velus Jones, Nsimba Webster and Equanimeous St. Brown. Who’s your go-to guy in that group?

But Moore is fast and clever enough to create an opportunity every play.

“The trust is growing,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “Guys are where they’re supposed to be. [Fields] knows that. He knows the rhythm and timing of that... There’s a lot of detail to that, and those guys are starting to trust each other.”

Trust and chemistry have been buzzwords in any conversation about Fields and Moore, and there’s been an obsession over their secret offseason training sessions. That’s all beneficial, but talent is what makes all the difference.

Moore is just better. That’s what matters most.

“He’s just quicker than I thought he was,” Eberflus admitted.

Even with the Panthers’ instability, his 5,201 yards receiving in five seasons is more than the Bears’ franchise record. They’ve had just 13 1,000-yard seasons, by eight players, in the past three decades. They went a decade without one from Marty Booker in 2002 to Brandon Marshall in 2012 and had another drought from 2015 through ’18 between Alshon Jeffery and Allen Robinson.

That explains the desperation. The Bears have battled Calvin Johnson, Randy Moss or Davante Adams in their division, but don’t know what it’s like to have someone at that level. It’s understandable that fans wanted to throw a parade the second Poles traded for Chase Claypool last fall. They’re starved for it.

If Moore is able to fulfill that, the effect would ripple through the offense. Fields can’t help but be better with a weapon like that. If defenses fixate on Moore, that should open things up for Kmet, Claypool and Darnell Mooney. If the Bears finally have a dangerous passing attack, opponents will be cautious about loading up against the run.

That’s a lot of ifs — and a lot of pressure — hinging largely on the impact of one player. But it doesn’t seem to bother Moore.

“I’ve just been the same me,” he said. “I bring excitement to the team. It’s on a bigger platform now, so I guess everybody is excited, and I’m going to just keep running with it.”