For the first time since the 2023 season, the Buffalo Bills will go into this season with a clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver. From 2020-2023, they had Stefon Diggs who helped Josh Allen become the quarterback that he is today. Then during the 2024 offseason, the Bills traded Diggs to the Houston Texans which left the Bills without a No. 1 receiver.
Now, the Bills have a new No. 1 receiver in DJ Moore who they acquired from the Chicago Bears. Bringing him to Buffalo made too much sense, seeing as how the Bears had too many other playmakers, Buffalo needing a true receiver, and Moore’s familiarity with Joe Brady as well.
When it was learned that the Bills traded a 2nd-round pick for Moore, it brought a ton of pushback as people thought that the Bills overpaid for Moore. I get it the last two seasons have not been his greatest in Chicago, but we can’t ignore what he did with Brady back in their days with Carolina. Not to mention, Moore put up over 1,300+ yards in his first year with the Bears with Justin Fields as his quarterback.
Moore is now in an offense where he is the clear No. 1 receiver so things should go very well for him, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t face immediate pressure to produce for the Bills.
DJ Moore faces immediate make-or-break pressure in first season with Bills
Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus (PFF) recently put together a list of ten players who are coming into the season as make-or-break players, and Moore finds himself on this list which should be no surprise to Bills fans.
"Buffalo’s offense ranked second in EPA per play in 2025, but the team’s receiving corps was a real problem. Bills wideouts earned the 24th-ranked PFF receiving grade, including tying for the eighth-most drops of any unit." said Locker.
"Bills general manager Brandon Beane acquired Moore from the Bears in exchange for a second-round pick, a price that was met with skepticism given how Moore played in 2025 as well as his monstrous contract. Indeed, Moore’s 67.9 receiving grade and 1.24 yards per route run were both career lows, and he regularly seemed out of sync with Caleb Williams." Locker added.
Again, with Chicago adding a bunch of playmakers the last two seasons like Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, and Colston Loveland, Moore was bound to be less productive. Not to mention, Ben Johnson took over as the head coach and his scheme just doesn’t fit Moore, which is fine. But Moore does know Brady’s system and is a perfect fit.
With the Bills still having their championship window open, Moore comes in with high expectations to deliver. Fans will be hoping that his connection with Allen will be somewhat similar to what Allen and Stefon Diggs had in the early 2020s.
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