The Bears did what made sense when they sent DJ Moore out of Chicago. They cleared out a player who never quite turned into the star many expected, and they opened up $16.5 million in cap space in the process.
At the time, the return looked solid enough to justify the move. Buffalo paid a second-round pick for Moore and a fifth-rounder, and Ryan Poles later turned that fifth into more value.
Chicago moved the Bills’ No. 60 pick to get Nos. 69 and 144, then used those selections on TE Sam Roush and LB Keyshaun Elliott. From a draft-board standpoint, the Bears squeezed plenty out of the deal.
The problem now is that the wide receiver room they were counting on has started to feel a little less certain. Rome Odunze has been dealing with constant ailments and has missed practice too often in training camp. Luther Burden III is expected back for Week 1, but injuries have also followed him through his two years in the league.
On paper, Chicago still has a wide receiver group that looks loaded. Rookie Zavion Thomas has shown the kind of juice that makes people take notice, and Colston Loveland, though listed as a tight end, can be an elite pass catcher for Caleb Williams too.
But availability still rules everything. Odunze’s chronic foot issues could linger, and that’s where Moore’s departure starts to look a little different in hindsight. Moore may not have fully matched the hype, but he was steady and healthy, and that matters when the rest of the room is fighting to stay on the field.
That doesn’t mean the Bears were wrong to make the trade. It was a move they had to consider, and the value they got back was legitimate. Still, trades age in strange ways, and this one could look a lot different if Odunze and Burden keep running into injury trouble.
In Other News...
Bears Fans Are Mourning A 1985 Champion As More Is Confirmed
The Bears lost one of the central figures from their 1985 championship team when former fullback Matt Suhey was found unresponsive in his Deerfield home and later pronounced dead. The Lake County Coroners Office said there were no suspicious circumstances, and officials indicated the death was expected to be listed as natural causes given Suheys significant medical history.
For Bears fans, Suheys place in franchise lore was already secure. He carved out a successful 10-year NFL career in Chicago and helped define the 1985 seasons run to the title, including scoring the opening touchdown in Super Bowl XX, a moment that remains part of the teams most celebrated memory. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Fans Now Have The Official Word On Matt Suheys Death
Matt Suheys death has now been officially attributed to natural causes, ending the uncertainty that followed news of the former Bears fullback being found unresponsive at his Deerfield, Illinois home. The Lake County Coroners Office said there were no suspicious circumstances, and noted his death was tied to a significant medical history, a sobering update on a player longtime Chicago fans remember from one of the franchises most celebrated eras.
Suhey spent 10 years with the Bears and carved out a reputation as a reliable, hard-nosed presence in the backfield, capped by a career highlight that still resonates at Halas Hall: the opening touchdown in Super Bowl XX. For Bears fans, the official finding brings clarity, but it also closes another chapter on a figure from that championship team whose name still carries weight in Chicagos football history. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Get Needed Week 1 Relief But One Absence Still Looms
Rome Odunze was the one notable absence when the Bears opened their Week 1 preparation for Carolina, sitting out Tuesdays practice because of a lower-body injury. It was the lone blip on an otherwise encouraging injury report, as Chicago got back to work without any fresh issues showing up on the field.
DAndre Swift and Kyle Monangai were both back in action after their recent injury scares, with Swift returning from cramps and Monangai moving on from a hyperextended knee. For a team trying to get through the first week of the season in decent shape, that kind of early stability matters, even if Odunzes status is the one situation still worth monitoring as the opener approaches. [Read more 🡒]