DJ Moore has been very productive since joining the Chicago Bears in the massive trade that also netted them the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, with more than 95 receptions in each of the last two seasons.
But 2024 was clearly a disappointment, as he set career-lows in yards per catch (9.9), yards per target (6.9), air yards per target (7.5), yards per route run (1.45), etc. While a clear league-high 41 designed targets (according to Fantasy Points) It isn't necessarily a bad thing; it's also how someone has 98 receptions but doesn't get to 1,000 receiving yards.
As an outward symbol of what his teammates were going through, Moore had trouble containing his frustration at times last season. But like every Bears player who was around last year, he seems refreshed by Ben Johnson and his coaching staff.
Moore has been the subject of some training camp buzz, as he has been observed lining up in the backfield as a running back. He even took a normal handoff out of shotgun during the Bears' "Family Fest" scrimmage.
Chicago Bears’ RB1 next season: DJ Moore pic.twitter.com/QbhEtny7Wc
— Underdog (@Underdog) August 3, 2025
On Monday, Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle was asked what he likes about Moore playing running back.
"DJ is one of those guys that you really love when the ball is in his hands", Doyle said. “Just trying to find ways to be creative about how we do that. Trying to get him touches in every way we can. He’s very natural back there. He has good vision. It’s one of those things that we will test it and mess with it a little bit. We’ll see where it goes.”
How much Moore will actually line up in the backfield when the regular season starts is an open question. There is absolutely no question about Johnson's creativity as an offensive designer and play caller, so all options are on the table and it's incumbent on players to embrace the possibilities.
Moore, to his credit, is doing just that.
DJ Moore is fully embracing possibility of diverse role in Bears' offense
Moore spoke to reporters after Monday's practice, and he was asked what he thought when the idea of lining up in the backfield was presented to him.
"I was just like, go ahead, add it all onto the plate now,” Moore said. “Just be an athlete at this point and I have to learn it all. That’s what I’m doing.”
Asked about the extra work attached to learning the nuances of playing running back along with everything else that will encompass his role in the Bears' offense, Moore had an ideal answer.
"I just break it up in the different parts,” Moore said. “You’ve got a receiver part, the running back part and then you’ve got the whole concept part. It’s daunting, but I get paid the big bucks to do it, so why not?”
Moore then revealed he had a solo meeting with running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, but he of course did not disclose the exact details.
Work in the running game and lining up in the backfield is not foreign to Moore. He had a career-high 14 carries last year, with 10 snaps lined up in the backfield, and he had 10 carries for the Panthers in 2022Such as there was any real plan to use Moore out of the backfield before, there is clearly a plan being shaped for the possibility this year. That alone feels different, which he has more or less confirmed along with his embrace of said plan.
