The Bears traded D.J. Moore to the Bills, ending the best connection Caleb Williams had with any receiver in his first two NFL seasons. Chicago received a second-round pick from Buffalo and cleared about $16.5 million in salary cap space.
Williams did not hide what the move means to him. “D.J. is a pro, he’s been that since he’s been in the league,” he said, adding that he will miss Moore making plays on the football side and miss him personally, too.
That relationship mattered in Chicago. Williams completed more passes to Moore than to any other receiver in his first two NFL seasons, and Moore was the Bears’ No. 1 wide receiver in all three of his seasons with the team. Even so, his receiving yardage declined each year in Chicago.
The trade also fits the direction of Ben Johnson’s Bears offense, which likes to spread the ball around. That makes Moore’s departure less surprising from a roster-building standpoint, even if it leaves Williams losing his most familiar target.
Williams said he understands the business side of the move, even if he does not have a choice in it. He said he is happy for Moore because he landed in a Bills offense that should give him plenty of chances to make plays, and he added that he is excited to see what the receiver does for the rest of his career.
For Chicago, the calculation was as practical as it was personal: a second-round pick in return, plus salary cap room to keep reshaping the roster. For Williams, the next test is obvious. He has to rebuild chemistry with a new receiving group while the Bears ask more of an offense built to distribute the ball.
