Who won the DJ Moore trade? Grading the Bills-Bears deal

Whichever side leaked news of the impending DJ Moore trade from the Chicago Bears to the Buffalo Bills was so excited, they needed to get the news out there before the trade was finalized and compensation coming back to the Bears was fully agreed upon.

That is unusual, but it makes sense. It's a big move, one that seems to benefit both teams. For the Bills, the excitement is obvious: Josh Allen finally has some more help at receiver after a couple of lean seasons at that position.

Here are the grades for a significant Bears-Bills trade:

Bills get a big WR upgrade

Bills general manager Brandon Beane is very sensitive when it comes to the notion he hasn't done enough to give Allen enough receivers. He can be annoyed all he wants, but the criticism is fair.

DJ Moore is going to the Buffalo Bills after three seasons with the Bears. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)Brooke Sutton via Getty Images

And judging by Thursday's trade, he understood that getting a No. 1 receiver was a major need. There should be questions about Moore. His receiving yards the past three seasons have gone from 1,364 in 2023 to 966 to 682. Moore played 17 games in each of those seasons. He's going to be just 29 years old next season so he shouldn't be hitting the age cliff yet, but it's worth noting. It's also a bit odd that a smart offensive coach like Ben Johnson seemed to want to move Moore right away; Moore was the subject of trade rumors during last season.

But the bar is low in Buffalo. Moore instantly becomes the Bills' best receiver and by a large margin. As of the time the trade was reported there was no word on what the Bills were giving up, and that matters, but getting Allen some help was a much needed and long overdue move.

Grade: B+

Bears move on from Moore

It was less than two years ago that Moore agreed to a four-year, $110 million contract extension, which was the largest in franchise history. That made sense coming off a 1,364-yard season. Moore was one of the best receivers in football that season.

And he didn't replicate that in either of the past two seasons with Caleb Williams at quarterback. Whatever the reason, Moore wasn't a good fit with Williams, Johnson's new scheme or both.

The Bears invested high draft picks into tight end Colston Loveland and receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III the past two seasons, which is a reason Moore was expendable.

Moore gave the Bears some good seasons after being a part of a franchise-changing trade that sent the No. 1 overall pick to the Panthers (they took Bryce Young with that pick), but it seemed like the trade was smart for the team and the player as well.

Grade: B