The Chicago Bears made the decision to trade away veteran wide receiver DJ Moore this offseason, sending him to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, opening the door for opportunities for others on offense.
Over the last few seasons, Moore was the top receiver for the Bears. But, over the course of the last two seasons, Chicago had spent premium draft picks on wide receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, laying the groundwork for the future.
While it would be easy to look at who will step up in the receiver room after Moore’s departure, Bears head coach Ben Johnson said it’ll come down to several players at multiple positions, including Odunze and Burden, as well as last year’s top tight end Colston Loveland, make the most out of the open possibilities.
“DJ had the most skins on the wall in terms of production throughout his career,” Johnson said, via CHGO. “Now that opens some windows, some targets. Where does it get distributed? You already mentioned Rome and Luther certainly, but also it’s a competition between the receiver room and the tight end room and the running back room.”
This leaves the door open for bigger roles for Loveland or Cole Kmet at tight end, as well as more creative ways for running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai to have even more offensive production. There is no shortage of options for the Bears offense, but there should be a focus on both Odunze and Burden as they take not only a bigger role but step up as leaders heading into the 2026 season.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears HC Ben Johnson discusses filling void after DJ Moore loss
Reporting by Mike Pendleton, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
