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

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As part of a trade down from the No. 1 pick, the Bears pulled D.J. Moore away from the Panthers as part of the blockbuster deal

A quick bio for you: Moore, 25, has played five seasons in the NFL entirely in Carolina. He was drafted with the No. 24 pick in the 2018 draft. Moore has three seasons recording over 1,000 yards receiving and 21 total touchdowns over his career. 

Better yet, he fits in with Fields' arm strength. He's a deep ball receiver with a respectable frame (6 feet, 210 pounds). Moore has 172 targets 10-19 yards downfield from 2019-22, the second-most in the NFL in that category, according to Brad Spielberger of PFF. 

Poles and the Bears are well aware of Fields' knack for chucking the pigskin downfield. That's part of the reason they traded for Chase Claypool, similar to Moore, a big body apt for catching the long 50/50 ball. 

Fields also mentioned his desire to work on the short game. He wants to raise his efficiency in completing shorter passes. His completion percentage isn't great, sitting at a career 59.7 percent.

"I would say in the short game, in the short passing game," Fields told Rich Eisen when asked to name an area he needs to improve. "Kind of the gimme throws, the run alerts, the bubbles and stuff like that. I feel like I might have gotten too lazy on and just really missed easy throws."

MORE: Fields identifies one key area he must improve in Year 3

Aside from Fields' improvements, the Bears have a bonafide No. 1 receiver with versatility for route-running and catching the deep ball. 

And, let's not forget, Moore's quarterbacks over his five NFL seasons haven't been exactly ideal. Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker, Teddy Bridgewater, Will Grier . . . Need I go on?

Moore now has a quarterback capable of getting him the ball with Fields. He may not have proved it entirely last season, by way of just over 2,200 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and the main chunk of his offensive work coming from the ground.

But, he has shown flashes of success. His tape from last season withholds a slew of successful deep balls, and his arm strength is unquestionably elite. Moore is the hopeful puzzle piece to help the ongoing third-year quarterback see success through the air 

And alongside Moore, Darnell Mooney, Claypool and Cole Kmet are respectable forces to reckon with in the passing game. The Bears are certainly building around Fields' strengths successfully from a schematic standpoint. 

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