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Bears News

DJ Moore still lacks consistency in Bears’ offense after loss to Packers

1 month agoNicholas Moreano

DJ Moore has played in 127 games in his NFL career.

In Sunday’s 28-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, the veteran wide receiver did something he’d never previously had. He finished the game with one reception for minus-4 yards, making that the lowest receiving total in his eight-year pro career.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson discussed Moore’s lack of involvement in the passing game during his Monday Zoom press conference.

“I thought he ran some pretty good routes over the course of the day and we just couldn’t give him the ball,” Johnson said. “Which, that was not the intent. I thought going into the game we might have had more for him than any other player in the offense. Was a little surprised at the end when I saw the stat sheet for one catch like he had.”

[READ: Five Bears whose stock went up or down vs. Packers]

Moore’s production shouldn’t be all too surprising, though, considering how his season has played out. Through 13 games, he has just 39 receptions for 498 yards and three touchdowns. And in the last five games, excluding his five catches for 64 yards and two touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers, his stats don’t resemble a player who is on a four-year, $110 million contract.

Moore has just four total catches for 31 yards against the New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and Packers. Before that Week 12 Steelers game, he hadn’t caught a TD pass since the Week 3 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Moore and quarterback Caleb Williams, who’s in his second NFL season, haven’t found much consistency this season. Rome Odunze didn’t play in the loss to the Packers because of injury, yet Moore still was an afterthought in the passing game.

Olamide Zaccheaus, who scored the Bears’ first TD at Green Bay, shared his thoughts on Moore managing his potential frustration with his lack of productivity in Chicago’s offense.

“I think first and foremost, just about winning and whatever that may look like,” Zaccheaus said. “It might be a different person or different few people at every game that pop, but I think his mindset has just been that we just want to win. So, whatever that may look like, and everybody’s just being ready for their opportunities.”

[READ: Bears report card: Team grades in loss to Packers]

Moore has been part of many losing teams after starting his career with the Carolina Panthers and then being traded to the Bears in 2023. But he has the sixth-most total guaranteed money among NFL wide receivers ($82,635,000) and is the 13th-highest paid at the position in average annual salary ($27,500,000), per OverTheCap.com.

The Bears registered just 32 passing yards in the first half against the Packers, so there is plenty to fix as the team prepares for Sunday’s meeting with the 3-10 Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field. One area that would help is putting the ball in Moore’s hands for yards-after-the-catch opportunities.

Something needs to change with Moore’s usage, and just four regular-season games are left to address the issue.