The DJ Moore Question Just Got Murkier After Ryan Poles’ Latest Comments
There is probably no more divisive figure in the Chicago Bears locker room right now than DJ Moore. On the one hand, the team doesn’t reach the divisional round without the veteran receiver’s help. His huge catches against Green Bay put them in position to win the NFC North and then the wild card round. At the same time, people can’t get over his baffling lack of urgency on the pivotal play of the Rams game that led to a backbreaking interception. It seems like that has been a problem with him all year.
Plenty of fans are tired of his inconsistency. Given his massive contract, they believe the time is right for the Bears to trade him. They have Rome Odunze and Luther Burden. The team can afford to move on. GM Ryan Poles was asked about the Moore situation during his end-of-season press conference. His response completely changed the nature of the conversation. From how he phrased his words, it sounds like Moore had been playing most of the season at less than 100%.
“I’ll use his words: he didn’t care about stats. All he cared about was winning. This is the most winning DJ has ever had, probably since high school. That’s all he cares about. In terms of (the) roster, like I said, we got a lot of decisions to make in figuring that out. I think what stood out about DJ this year is the level of toughness rubbed off on our team. Guys if they were dinged up, like they almost had to go because DJ was going. He was able to fight through a lot. Got a lot of respect for him.”
DJ Moore being unhealthy explains a lot.
It could be that all those times when he wasn’t going full speed weren’t an effort problem but a pain problem. We really didn’t see peak Moore most of the season. Some chalked it up to him losing a step or not having a proper place in Ben Johnson’s offense. His nursing an undisclosed injury certainly explains a lot. It also complicates the situation even further for the Bears. His contract is still one of the largest on the team. They need cap space. Poles has a tough decision to make.
Does he look to restructure the contract to keep DJ Moore on the roster or trade him anyway, despite the receiver not being considered a locker room problem? The smart play for any team is to not intentionally weaken the arsenal of your quarterback unless given no other choice. Chicago doesn’t need to do a ton of heavy lifting to keep Moore on the team. Much of this comes down to how much Caleb Williams wants him to stay and whether the injury issue has long-term consequences.