How NFL experts graded the Bears' trade of WR DJ Moore

The Chicago Bears made their first big move of the offseason trading wide receiver DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills. Chicago received a 2026 second-round pick (while sending a 2026 fifth rounder) to Buffalo while also saving $16.5 million in salary cap space.

The move doesn't come as a surprise considering the trade speculation surrounding Moore this offseason, and his massive coming off his worst statistical season with 50 receptions for 682 yards and six touchdowns amid the rise of young wideouts Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, as well as tight end Colston Loveland.

Here’s a collection of all of the grades for the Moore trade from various media outlets, where experts agree that the Bears won this trade with nearly all A's across the board.

USA Today: A-

Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz: "The math for the Bears is relatively straightforward. By trading Moore, Chicago cleared his full $16.5 million in cap space. Cutting him wasn't a suitable option, but neither was hanging onto him and allowing a sizable chunk of his 2025 salary to become guaranteed. With the swap, the Bears found an out and received a nice boost in draft capital in return.

"...The Bears' receiving corps will be more than fine without Moore. Rookie wideout Luther Burden III came on strong down the stretch, as did tight end Colston Loveland, and expectations remain high for 2024 first-rounder Rome Odunze. Moore served Chicago well in a transitional era prior to coach Ben Johnson's arrival, but he ultimately became a superfluous piece for the offense. A clean break was best for both sides."

The Athletic: A-

Jeff Howe: "The Bears got out of Moore’s contract and still have wideouts Rome Odunze and Luther Burden and tight end Colston Loveland on rookie deals, so they’re in a better position to support other areas of the roster. Moore is still a good player, but there’s no sense in trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Moore’s production in Johnson’s first season didn’t match his price tag. With younger players at the position, it was wise to split while Moore still had value on the trade market."

ESPN: A

Seth Walder: "Dealing Moore was probably a pretty easy choice for Chicago. Their future in the receiving game is Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland. And they get to offload a substantial amount of guaranteed money that they can redistribute to other parts of the roster that need help.

"Assuming the Bears didn't take on any additional money, I think this part is sort of remarkable: Moore's stock seems to have fallen precipitously since signing his extension that had a $27.5 million average per year. Despite that, the Bills will be taking on only a slightly cheaper contract: $90 million over four years ($22.5 million APY) though with all the guarantees this will be a one-year deal for $40 million, two years for $64.5 million or three for $73.5 million if they choose to end it early. Not only that, but the Bills gave up what ESPN's draft pick values would consider a late-third round pick to do it.

"In my view, that makes this a much better result for the Bears than I would have expected heading into the offseason and makes the deal worth criticizing for the Bills."

NFL.com: A-

Kevin Patra: "The Bears did well to obtain a premium pick, giving Ryan Poles four selection in the top 100 of the 2026 NFL Draft to either stock the roster or use in another trade.

"Moore made some spectacular catches last season in Chicago's magical run, but he had been bypassed by Rome Odunze as WR1 and was poised to lose even more targets to Luther Burden III, who fills the slot role better than the veteran. Add in tight end Colston Loveland's burgeoning skills, and Moore became superfluous in Johnson's offense. Given Moore's contract, Chicago always appeared poised to move on this offseason.

"Shedding the cap space while jumping into a premium spot in the draft was an ideal move for Poles, who doesn't seem like he's done making splash plays. The trade will free up $16.5 million on the cap for the Bears to chase a potential pass rusher or solidify the center position after Pro Bowler Drew Dalman's abrupt retirement.

"Given Moore's age, recent production and cost, this is an excellent return for the Bears, allowing them to be more flexible this offseason."

CBS Sports: B

Zachary Pereles: "More than anything, this trade takes away from one area of excess and allows the Bears to add to the free-agent budget and another early pick. Chicago was somewhat hamstrung financially before this move, and that's with several key 2025 contributors -- safeties Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker and cornerback Nahshon Wright -- all set to hit free agency. Despite making a major jump last season, the Bears still need to stock (or restock) a defense that finished 27th in success rate last year. Keep in mind, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is seeking a trade as well.

"Overall, the Bears get younger, cheaper and, in their eyes, hopefully more balanced. Ryan Poles now has more free agent spending flexibility plus three draft picks in the top 60 to add to the defense or an offensive line that suddenly needs a center. While the wide receiver corps becomes very thin after Odunze and Burden, Chicago should benefit from this in the long run."

Yahoo! Sports: B

Frank Schwab: "Whatever the reason, Moore wasn’t a good fit with Williams, Johnson’s new scheme or both.The Bears invested high draft picks into tight end Colston Loveland, and receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III the past two seasons, which is a reason Moore was expendable. The Bears getting a second-round pick is a pretty good return when Moore was fairly redundant in the offense anyway.

"Moore gave the Bears some good seasons after being a part of a franchise-changing trade that sent the No. 1 overall pick to the Panthers (they took Bryce Young with that pick), but it seemed like the trade was smart for the team and the player as well."

Sports Illustrated: A

Gilberto Manzano: "Chicago prioritized moving Moore to become cap compliant because of its depth at the skill positions. In the past two years, the Bears have used first-round picks on tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Rome Odunze, and a second-round pick on wideout Luther Burden III.

"Loveland appears to be headed for superstar status based on the flashes he showed in his rookie season. Odunze and Burden are still finding their footing as consistent playmakers, but the upside was noticeable last year. However, Odunze will need to be available as the new No. 1 wideout for Williams, as he missed five games last season. 

"Chicago will miss Moore’s clutch plays, but it wasn’t a bad idea to put more trust in its ascending pass catchers. The team will also free up $16.5 million in cap space by trading Moore to Buffalo. And the second-round pick will help the team fill a need on defense or find center Drew Dalman’s replacement, who abruptly retired on Tuesday."

Sporting News: A+

Vinnie Iyer: "This might seem weird, giving the Bears a significantly higher grade for giving up Moore. But they needed to get rid of his sizable contract and flipped him for a valuable second-rounder to boost. Moore was expendable with Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III looking like great youthful playmakers for Williams going forward. Notably, Moore had his big year with the Bears in 2023 when Justin Fields was force-feeding him as the No. 1.

"Williams and Moore have had notable chemistry issues, first in the previous offense and again in the current scheme under Ben Johnson. Williams can now be free to spread the ball around to different, versatile, quick targets who are more on the same page as him."

For The Win: A

Robert Zeglinski: "Trading Moore now solves a Chicago logjam in two ways. First, from a target hierarchy. In Loveland, Odunze, and Burden, the Bears possess one of the NFL's most promising trios of young pass-catchers. All Moore would've done is continue taking away opportunities from three Bears players who very well could already be notably better than him. His departure will allow Ben Johnson and Williams to continue tailoring their new-look offense around their top young weapons.

"The said offense should be healthier. It should be better, too. Then, there's the matter of the salary cap. Presuming the Bills are absorbing Moore's entire $24.5 salary cap hit in 2026, that is a huge relief to Chicago, which could really use the space to bolster its roster elsewhere. Does this portend a Maxx Crosby trade? A Tyler Linderbaum signing in the wake of the Drew Dalman retirement? One or both seem much more likely now that the Bears have some money to play with.

"This Moore trade is a prudent, proactive move for a Bears team ready to contend for Super Bowls."

Bears Wire: A-

Brendan Sugrue: "This is a very good trade for the Bears, but it's not perfect. They still need to replace Moore's production on the field with the guys they have in the building, and there is some risk involved. Rome Odunze must rebound from an injury-ridden sophomore season and emerge as a difference maker. Burden will be tasked with developing into a well-rounded receiver as well after a promising rookie year. Neither one is guaranteed. With Williams at quarterback and Johnson leading the way, the Bears should be fine in that regard, but it's time for the young pass catchers to prove it. Moore was their most experienced option and came up big in the clutch multiple times. His production has to be absorbed elsewhere.

"The Bears had a choice to try and push all of their chips in for 2026 by restructuring Moore and putting themselves into a desperate cap situation over the next few years or retool by trading him while giving themselves flexibility to add other pieces without dooming their salary cap. They chose option No. 2 and it makes sense as they try to build a sustained winning team. Moving off Moore is bittersweet, but getting a second-round pick in return takes away a lot of that bitter taste."

SB Nation: A+

James Dator: "This is a great move simply because Moore didn’t fit Ben Johnson’s offense. It became apparent that the focus moving forward was going to be on Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, and Colston Loveland — making Moore an extremely overpaid ancillary receiver in the offense.

"The Bears got a really solid haul, all things considered. Even though the 2nd round pick isn’t until No. 60, its still quite a lot considering he’s not a player who figures into their plans. In addition, the cap relief offers a passive return of giving them a lot of room to play in free agency (cough, Tyler Linderbaum, cough) or potentially acquire a major talent in a trade (looking at you, Maxx Crosby). In addition, it now allows the Bears to move forward with Johnson’s offensive plan without the worry Moore will be stewing on the sideline, upset with his role, or potentially becoming a distraction for a young, building team.

"When a team is able to get something for a guy that didn’t figure into their plans it’s a good deal."

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears trade DJ Moore: Experts hand out grades for Chicago