The DJ Moore and Justin Fields Tandem Has Been As Awesome As Expected

DJ Moore is awesome. We raved about his presence during training camp and his teammates have lauded what he brings to the table as a locker room presence. But four games into the season, we’re seeing what Moore can do on the field. And it has been an absolute delight (despite the results in the won-loss column).

Plus, we’re seeing quarterback Justin Fields become the main beneficiary of Moore’s excellence. Have you seen Fields’ numbers when targeting Moore? They’re legitimately special:

It is also worth noting that 15 of those 19 receptions have gone for a first down. Moore is moving the chains by bringing explosive passing plays to the offense. There hasn’t been much to enjoy in the early going, but this is definitely a wonderful development:

The DJ Moore and Justin Fields is looking like we thought it would

The Chicago Bears have a big fat 0 in the win column right now. And while I don’t want to get into moral victories this early in the season, seeing Fields and Moore linking up successfully is a big win in my book. This is why GM Ryan Poles prioritized acquiring Moore in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. Poles’ tenure as Bears GM has had its share of misses. But Poles hit bullseye with the Moore trade.

These are DJ Moore’s projected season-long stats for a 17-game season:

Side note — If you use the last three games (you know, the ones in which the Bears’ offensive game planners remembered that Moore was on the team for more than two plays) Moore’s projected 2023 stat-line looks like this: 96 catches, 1,564 yards, 11 touchdowns. Gimme more of that, PLEASE!

Moving forward, I’d like to take one last look into the past. This was Moore’s stat line against the Denver Broncos on Sunday: 9 targets, 8 catches, 131 yards, 1 touchdown. That is the type of stat line you tend to expect from a legitimate WR1. When it comes to the remaining games on the schedule, that is what I want Moore’s stat line to look like after the clock hits zero. Seriously, this is what it should look like for WR1 every single week. No excuses. It was nice to see the Bears diversify Moore’s route tree in Week 4. What do I need to do to get more? Target Moore early and throw in his general direction often. Run the offense through D.J. Moore and work off from there.

Don’t get me wrong. I get it. I know it is so easy to get bogged down in everything going wrong with the Chicago Bears. So much so that I also realize it doesn’t take much to lose sight of the good things happening with this team. Losing the forest through the trees is a thing that happens to the best of us. Sure, the silver linings are few and far between. And I feel as if it is hard to wrap your arms around those moments when your fists are balled in rage due to everything else going sideways at Halas Hall. With that being said, there is one thing going well for the Bears. And it doesn’t even need a caveat or qualifier.

DJ Moore and Justin Fields are awesome together. Smarter people than I will tell you that you are what the numbers say you are. So that means Fields and Moore are quite the tandem. I can’t wait to see more of their work in the games ahead. The Bears might not have much going for them right now. But as long as they have these two together, they should be fun to watch (even if the rest of it remains a mess).