Chicago Bears 25 Most important players of 2024: #2 D.J. Moore

Our countdown of the 25 most important Chicago Bears is nearing the end. At number two we have wide receiver DJ Moore.

Training camp is almost upon us! On Tuesday the Chicago Bears rookies report for camp. Four days later, the veterans report. From then on, it is a bullet train to the regular season. As the team prepares for the start of training camp, we wind down our countdown of the 25 most important players in 2024. At number two we have wide receiver D.J. Moore.

D.J. Moore will always be remembered for being involved in what might have been the greatest trade in Chicago Bears history last year. General Manager Ryan Poles traded the number one pick of the 2023 NFL Draft to the Carolina Panthers for the ninth pick, a second-round pick, a 2024 first-round pick (which ended up being another number one pick), and a 2025 second-round pick.

The picks ended up being offensive tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, and quarterback Caleb Williams. They can do wonders with the other pick they have left. Oh, and lest we forget, they also received Moore.

All the players picked in this draft are or will be integral to the team, especially the offense. Moore now heads one of the best wide receivers rooms in the league. Poles was not finished wheeling and dealing. This offseason he overhauled the offense and added six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen. Additionally, he selected Rome Odunze, who may be the best wide receiver in this year’s class, with his second top-ten pick.

While it is great to have the experienced veteran, Allen, it is Moore who is the top man in that room. Allen is still bringing it, but he is in the twilight of his career. Odunze, on the other hand, is a young pup. Moore is perfect in the middle. He has the skills of Allen at a younger age and more experience than Odunze.

The younger players on the roster will have the advantage of seeing two exquisite professionals in Moore and Allen to learn from. They are hard workers and perfectionists. Moore, however, will be the guy to count on the most in this hierarchy.

Moore does not own elite speed. However, he runs excellent routes. He uses his body control and crisp route-running to create space. He can also make some incredible catches when needed.

In 2023, Moore had another triumphant season. Despite struggles at quarterback, he had a career year. He finished with 96 catches for 1,364 yards and 8 touchdowns. He averaged 14.2 yards per catch. His catches, yards, and touchdowns were career-highs. Additionally, he had career highs in yards per game (80.2) and catch percentage (70.6 percent).

The Chicago Bears expect more of that in 2024. We saw that he was able to work well with last year’s starting quarterback, Justin Fields. This season, he will have the super rookie Williams to work with. Many consider Williams to be a generational talent. If that is the case, expect a lot of fireworks with the Williams-to-Moore connection.

With Williams, Moore can help mold the kid. He will show the youngster where to throw the ball and how a route will be run. Williams will learn when to throw the ball. Even if Moore is not at the spot when Williams throws the ball, the rookie can have confidence that Moore will be there when the ball does.

With all of the added talent on the team, expectations are finally high for an exciting, competitive season for the Chicago Bears. Even with the extra talent, many feel that Moore could end up being the team’s MVP in 2024.

Eric Edholm of NFL.com recently had an article in which he picked one MVP candidate for each team. For the Chicago Bears, it was D.J. Moore. This is what he had to say about him.

In the 12 games Justin Fields started and finished last season, Moore averaged 91.8 receiving yards per game and caught half of Fields’ TD passes. Even with a stronger receiving corps this year, Moore figures to be a huge part of Williams’ development in his rookie season — and well beyond…Moore’s 2024 numbers could fall below his career-high totals from last season. But if there’s an individual player who holds the key to helping unlock Williams more than Moore, I don’t know who it is.

Moore has had his experience working with struggling quarterbacks in Carolina and Chicago. It will be interesting to see him perform with Williams. If he and the rookie get on the same page similar to how he and Fields did last season, there will be a lot of celebrations in the end zone for the Chicago Bears.

Previous rankings: #25: Tory Taylor  #24: Velus Jones  #23: Jack Sanborn  #22: Gerald Everett  #21: Kyler Gordon  #20: Cairo Santos #19: Kevin Byard  #18: Nate Davis  #17: Jaquan Brisker  #16: Austin Booker  #15:Tyrique Stevenson  #14: Darnell Wright  #13: Khalil Herbert  #12: Tremaine Edmunds  #11: ColeKmet  #10: Gervon Dexter  #9: Rome Odunze  #8: Braxton Jones #7: D’Andre Swift  #6: Keenan Allen  #5: Montez Sweat  #4: T.J. Edwards  #3: Jaylon Johnson

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