Chicago Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore was firmly entrenched in his belief that Justin Fields, the Bears 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, was better than any passing prospect available at the 2024 NFL Combine back in February.
However, the Bears' quarterback room has since underwent a makeover with Fields being shipped off to the Pittsburgh Steelers and then Chicago replacing him with 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Moore's tune regarding Williams has, of course, changed now.
"Business is business. I seen it coming," Moore said, via NFL.com, of Fields being traded and now transitioning to Williams as his quarterback. "So, at the end of the day, he was the quarterback last year, now we got Caleb. We're gonna ride through H-E-L-L and back with him, so I'm just looking forward to seeing what he put out."
He also kept it real about why he has showed up at the Bears' organized team activities (OTAs) even though they are technically optional.
"Shoot, $200 grand on the line. I want to be here and make that money," Moore said of his contract's offseason workout bonus while smiling. "Outside of that you got to get the connection down with Caleb and with everybody, even Rome (Odunze) and the whole room. The whole offense just wants to be around each other and build that bond, the relationships that we had last year, and form it with new people."
Moore enters 2024 coming off a stellar season -- his 1,364 receiving yards in 2023 rank as the fourth-most in a season in Bears history -- but he is excited for Williams, who will hopefully provide some stability after catching passes from Fields and Tyson Bagent in Chicago.
"You can see that the natural leadership is there, the natural arm talent is there," Moore said. "Everything about him, it's just always a positive thing. Even when he has a bad play, he's looking to learn real fast right after. That's all you can ask of him, for him to quickly forget but also learn at the same time."
After being the new guy in the Windy City a year ago, it's now Moore's turn to show Williams the ropes in Chicago in 2024.
