Bears considered D.J. Moore a ‘must have' in trade: reports

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Instead of taking an additional first-round pick from the Carolina Panthers on top of the one they received in 2024, the Chicago Bears wanted a player, and considered wide receiver D.J. Moore a "must-have" in the trade, according to Joe Person of The Athletic

Ryan Poles reportedly said he believed he could get a first-round pick in 2024 and 2025. And he could have. But he opted for scratching a No. 1 receiver off his laundry list of items for the foreseeable future. 

They considered Moore, as aforementioned, a "must-have" in the deal and settled for a second-round pick in 2025 instead of a first-round pick.

This was a seemingly clever move by Poles, seeing as the free agent market for wide receivers was relatively low. Plus, making a trade for a different wide receiver (i.e. DeAndre Hopkins) would be an exercise of futility, considering the Bears already planned on trading the No. 1 pick. 

The Bears hit two birds with one stone in their trade with the Panthers. They escaped the awkward spot of occupying quarterback territory, without the need for a quarterback. Meanwhile, they scratched elite receiver off their laundry list by acquiring Moore as part of the deal. 

Draft picks are lottery tickets. Players are players. And Moore is a proven one at that. 

MORE: How D.J. Moore improves Justin Fields, Bears offense

Moore has five years of NFL experience under his belt. The 25-year-old receiver has spent every NFL season he's played with the Carolina Panthers. During his career, he's already recorded three seasons with 1,000+ yards and 21 total touchdowns. 

He's apt to catch the deep ball with a nice frame at 6 feet, 210 pounds. His quarterbacks in Carolina haven't been ideal, leading to optimism that the Bears can extract more talent out of the young receiver. 

Another bullet point in Moore's favor is his availability. The lowest number of games he's played in one season is 15. From the looks of his charts, he's missed two games in his career. 

He'll join a cohort including Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool and Cole Kmet amongst the Bears' best pass catchers. And he's already considered a "must-have" among the group. 

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