{"id":897897,"date":"2026-05-22T05:27:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T05:27:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/897897\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T05:27:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T05:27:18","slug":"bills-called-out-over-polarizing-dj-moore-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/897897\/","title":{"rendered":"Bills Called Out Over Polarizing DJ Moore Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

The theme of the Buffalo Bills<\/a>\u2019 offseason has been building a better supporting cast around quarterback Josh Allen<\/a>, which included firing head coach Sean McDermott and replacing him with offensive coordinator Joe Brady.<\/p>\n

The team bolstered the defense with star edge-rusher Bradley Chubb<\/a>, Super Bowl-winning safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson<\/a>, cornerback Dee Alford<\/a>, and safety Geno Stone<\/a>, but Buffalo\u2019s offensive transactions were less impactful.<\/p>\n

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The highlight of the Bills\u2019 offseason was the pre-draft trade that sent a second-round pick to the Chicago Bears<\/a> in exchange for wide receiver DJ Moore<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The move was met with a mixed bag of reaction. Some felt Buffalo finally landed a WR1 for Allen, while others believe the team overpaid for a WR2 that it plans to force into a top wideout role.<\/p>\n

ESPN\u2019s Bill Barnwell falls into the latter camp, and he wrote about why the Bills trading for Moore was the biggest mistake of their offseason.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery step of the Moore process felt like a franchise acting out of desperation,\u201d Barnwell wrote<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s clear that the Bills were frustrated by their wide receivers in 2025, as players such as Brandin Cooks<\/a>, Gabe Davis<\/a> and Tyrell Shavers<\/a> were getting meaningful reps late in the season.<\/p>\n

\"BuffaloDJ Moore #2 of the Chicago Bears reacts after running with the ball during an NFL wild card playoff game against the Green Bay Packers<\/a> at Soldier Field on January 10, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Owens\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 Under that lens, making a significant move for a receiver made sense. I\u2019m just not sure this was the right one. Moore is coming off what was comfortably his worst season as a pro, one in which he seemingly fell out of favor with Ben Johnson in the Chicago offense.<\/p>\n

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\u201c\u2026 Instead, the Bills sent a second-round pick to the Bears for Moore. That was already a curious choice by Beane. Even more inexplicably, the Bills ate all of the salary that was already owed to Moore and then guaranteed their new wideout $13.5 million in 2028, committing money three years down the line to a player who had no leverage as part of this trade.\u201d<\/p>\n

To Barnwell\u2019s point, Moore\u2019s 682 yards and 50 receptions last year were his fewest since his rookie year in 2018 \u2014 a concerning notion given head coach Ben Johnson is widely regarded as one of the league\u2019s top offensive minds.<\/p>\n

The good news for Moore is that Allen is the best quarterback he\u2019s ever played with. And as he demonstrated with Stefon Diggs<\/a>, Allen is capable of putting up eye-popping numbers with a receiver as talented as Moore, who has four 1,000-yard seasons and four seasons with 85 or more catches.<\/p>\n

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