DJ Moore to Bills: Impact on Bears’ free agency, draft, more

There’s less than a week left before the start of the league year, and buffalo bill Already addressing one of their biggest needs. A trade with the Bills was finalized on Thursday Chicago Bears for wide receiver dj mooreSources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The deal will not become official until the start of the league year on March 11, but the teams have agreed to terms. The Bills will also receive a 2026 fifth-round pick, while Buffalo is sending its 2026 second-round pick (No. 60) to the Bears.

This is the first significant acquisition since new head coach Joe Brady was promoted from offensive coordinator on January 27, and it also provides a new WR1 at quarterback. josh allen — who has targeted wide receivers at a decreasing rate since 2020.

For Moore, the change of scenery would come after the lowest output of his career – 50 receptions and 682 yards, though he still managed six touchdowns. The 24th overall pick by the Panthers in the 2018 draft out of Maryland will be joining his third team of his career, but he has familiarity with Brady, under whom he flourished for two seasons in Carolina.

What do the additions mean for Buffalo and did the team give up too much? Could Chicago be setting its sights on a top free agent now? ESPN Buffalo Bills reporter Alaina Getzenberg, Chicago Bears reporter Courtney Cronin, NFL analyst Seth Walder and national NFL reporter Dan Graziano break down the trade.

How will Moore fit in with the Bills, and how will his relationship with Brady affect things?

The Bills know exactly what they are getting in Moore as Brady was their OC in Carolina for the two best seasons of Moore’s career (2020-21). He surpassed 1,150 receiving yards in both seasons.

Moore plays Buffalo’s No. 1 receiver and also offers a different skill set than some of the other players in the room. Moore has the speed and ability to create separation and stretch the field. While the Bills had the lowest average target depth (9.2) in the league last year, Moore is one of five players with more than 50 catches on throws of more than 20 air yards in the last five seasons.

Moore’s experience, consistency and ability to stay on the field – he’s the only wide receiver in the league to appear in 17 games in each of the past five seasons – will also come in handy for Allen. The quarterback has worked with inconsistent receivers the past two years.

At the Combine, Bills president of football operations and general manager Brandon Beane said they are always looking for speed and versatility in receivers. So, Bill invested in a reliable option with both those qualities. — Getzenberg

Will this addition help the Bills take the pressure off in 2026?

There is no doubt that Moore immediately improves this offense and the wide receiver room. Buffalo gave up a valuable second-round pick (the team has seven picks) in a year where the team is undergoing a shakeup in the defensive scheme and has to address some other significant needs, especially at pass rusher.

The Bills have more work to do in terms of clearing cap space, but investing at the wide receiver position is something the team needs to do this offseason. Moore has the skill set to be a positive addition to this offense, but whether he was the right player to invest so heavily in will be a question heading into the season. — Getzenberg

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve heard on the deal?

The part about the Bills guaranteeing $15.5 million of Moore’s salary in 2028 — his age-31 season — is a real head-scratcher.

As far as I can see in his contract, Moore had no no-trade clause of any kind that would have given him leverage to reject the deal or force Buffalo to do anything extra to make it happen. This certainly indicates to Moore, Allen and the fan base that the Bills are committed to the player and believe he is an important part of the long-term answer.

But it won’t do anything to mitigate criticism that this is an overpayment for the Bills, or that they were desperate for a true No. 1 wide receiver. — graziano

Following the retirement of Drew Dallman, does this free up the Bears to pursue an elite free agent center?

Removing Dallman and Moore from the books creates ample salary cap space for a Bears team that was in a deficit before free agency, and it’s possible Chicago could still pay $15 million if the linebacker tremaine edmonds Release. This type of financial flexibility would allow the Bears to go after top names in the free agent center market tyler linderbaumLeague sources believe he will be the highest-paid interior offensive lineman with a deal worth $22 million per year.

Bears place great importance on the center position. That’s why they paid a premium to get Dallman last offseason (3 years, $42 million), and it paid dividends Caleb Williams and offense with increased use of play-action and Williams played under center 49% of the time during his second season.

Chicago needs to fix their porous pass rush and strengthen a key position along the offensive line. The Bears will be armed with cap space and an additional second round pick to address these needs (they now have four draft picks in the top 89 of the draft order). –Cronin

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Stephen A. reacted to DJ Moore’s trade with the Bills

Stephen A. Smith reacted to wide receiver DJ Moore being traded from Chicago to Buffalo.

Did Luther Burden’s rookie season make Moore expendable?

It wasn’t just Burden’s emergence. Colston Loveland’s dominant rookie season – a team-leading 713 receiving yards – solidified the first-round tight end as a key part of the passing attack. with Burden, Loveland and Rome Odunze On this team, Moore became a luxury on a team where his role had changed since he was traded to Chicago in 2023.

In 2024, Moore had 102 targets on throws of 10 yards or less, the second-most among wide receivers behind the Bengals’ Jammer Chase. Moore was used as a run-after-catch receiver. Those targets dropped significantly for Moore in 2025 when he had 42 passes that covered 10 yards or less.

And despite being on the receiving end of some of the season’s most memorable moments, such as a 42-yard walk-off touchdown in overtime against Green Bay on December 20, Moore’s relationship with Williams was not as strong in his second season. The 28-year-old receiver was targeted on 7% fewer routes. –Cronin

What can the Bears do with an extra second-round pick?

The Bears are in prime position to pick a package for a veteran in a blockbuster trade (someone who max crosby?) or use the extra second-rounder (No. 60) from this trade to continue building the defense.

In the depth safety class, USC’s Kamari Ramsey could step into a lineup that doesn’t currently have a starting safety under contract for next season. If the team is comfortable keeping three of its picks in the top 64, key defensive prospects will be available — and addressing a hole in the secondary is important. — miller

How would you classify this move?

The Bills get a D and the Bears get an A. Moore’s stock has fallen precipitously since signing an extension with Chicago that averages $27.5 million annually. Despite this, the Bills will only be on a slightly cheaper contract: $90 million over four years ($22.5 million APY). With all guarantees, it will basically be either a one-year deal for $40 million, a two-year deal for $64.5 million or a three-year deal for $73.5 million. Not only that, but the Bills gave up almost their last pick of the third round to do this.

You can understand how Bill got to this point. They have an all-world quarterback, but they have failed to surround themselves with enough talented players in the past and they want to rectify that issue. And here’s some history: Moore played for Brady in Carolina in 2020 and 2021 and was quite productive with him. Ultimately, I think the Bills’ instincts at wide receiver are right. But possibly paying actual draft capital for the right to pick up a higher-priced contract and add additional guarantees is far from optimal. Read the full grades here. — walder

What are imaginary effects?

In Buffalo, Moore fills a need as a volume target. Moore, who caught 50 of 83 targets for 682 yards and six scores in 2025, will see a bump in usage for the Bills, using his physical attributes to play through contact while breaking the ball apart.

In Chicago, we know Burden was showing glimpses of his high-level playing ability toward the end of his rookie season. Burden, who had a breakout game in Week 17 vs. 49ers (27.8 points), is an electric mover and fits easily into Ben Johnson’s system. It’s multi-layered movement in space and ball-carrying vision.

Burden’s role will increase in 2026, making Odunze and Loveland Williams’ top targets. We could see one of these three players take the edge from week to week depending on the game plan and/or opponent. But as we sit here now in March, Loveland would be in my TE1 ranks, while I would pencil in Odunze as a mid-tier WR2 with Burden as an upside WR3 who has the potential to post some WR1 weeks. — Bowen

Read Bowen’s full description and get more fantasy discussion Here.