Darnell Mooney calls DJ Moore a ‘good fit' with Bears

Share

The Bears' most significant move of the offseason easily is defined by their trading of the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a haul of draft picks and wide receiver DJ Moore.

On Thursday, Darnell Mooney joined Amon-Ra and Equanimeous St. Brown to react to the trade.

"Good guy. Good dude for sure," Mooney said. "Seems to be working hard. Seems to be honing into the culture we've got so far. Good fit for sure."

Mooney mentioned he hasn't gotten the chance to see Moore in action too much yet. The Bears are currently going through the motions of the playbook before hitting the field.

Nonetheless, Moore, Mooney, St. Brown and Chase Claypool are set to become the next Bears' pass-catching core. And Moore is the highlight piece of the puzzle to help escalate the group to another level.

Instead of receiving another first-round pick, Ryan Poles insisted Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer include a bonafide veteran player who can make an impact right away. Poles and Fitterer, longtime scouting acquaintances, shook hands on Moore.

With the Panthers, Moore racked up over 5,000 yards in five seasons, recording over 1,100 receiving yards in three consecutive seasons between 2019-21. He has 21 touchdown catches to his name and over 60 percent catch percentage.

His stat sheet is impressive, considering he operated with a myriad of quarterbacks in Carolina. From Cam Newton (twice) to Baker Mayfield, Moore caught passes from eight quarterbacks.

Justin Fields jumpstarted building chemistry with Moore immediately upon Moore landing in Chicago. The third-year quarterback took Moore and his family out to dinner before hitting a Chicago Bulls game with Mooney and Claypool.

MORE: Justin Fields on DJ Moore: 'I can tell he loves the game'

"I've known DJ for a little bit now," Fields told ChicagoBears.com. "I can tell he loves the game, he's a hard worker and, of course, he's talented. He's proven that over the past few years playing with the Panthers.

"So, it's great to have him; another weapon to add to our offense. He's going to bring a lot of energy, a lot of leadership to the room. Everybody's excited to have him, so it's going to be fun."

Click here to follow the Under Center Podcast.

Contact Us