NFL free agency officially begins on March 11th, but the Buffalo Bills got a head start by trading for DJ Moore on Thursday. The Chicago Bears veteran receiver will now be paired with 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen.
Josh Allen Gains A Huge Weapon In DJ Moore
2026 will be Moore’s ninth season in the league, having spent five years with the Carolina Panthers before a massive trade in March 2023 sent him to the Chicago Bears.
After a career-low 682 receiving yards in 2025, Moore was traded alongside a 2026 5th-round pick in exchange for a Bills’ 2026 2nd-round pick.
The NFL media were quick to the task, with Bills ESPN reporter Alaina Getzenberg quoting Adam Schefter’s original announcement of the impending trade, writing, “Significant potential wide receiver acquisition for the Bills. Plus, this would mark a reunion with Joe Brady from their time in Carolina.”
Significant potential wide receiver acquisition for the Bills. Plus, this would mark a reunion with Joe Brady from their time in Carolina. https://t.co/SohGGYbD1j
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) March 5, 2026
Field Yates, fantasy analyst and ESPN’s NFL draft analyst, immediately put Moore as Allen’s new primary weapon ahead of the 2026 campaign. “DJ Moore is Josh Allen’s new top target in Buffalo,” Yates posted on Thursday following the announcement of the pending move.
DJ Moore is Josh Allen’s new top target in Buffalo https://t.co/hMlXAnkVbF
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 5, 2026
NFL Insider Jordan Schultz seemed to agree with Yates’ take, quoting his own post of the trade and writing, “Josh Allen gets his guy.”
Josh Allen gets his guy. https://t.co/FcTDonVEPM
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 5, 2026
Greg Auman of FOX Sports also quoted Schultz’s original post. The longtime NFL reporter sees the move as a huge plus for the Bills, posting, “This is a big one, right ahead of free agency. Good fit for Buffalo.”
This is a big one, right ahead of free agency. Good fit for Buffalo. https://t.co/Hc3EFuJydn
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) March 5, 2026
PFSN’s official X account responded to Schefter’s trade announcement with a GIF of what Bills fans are thinking following the pending acquisition of Moore.
Bills fans: pic.twitter.com/98wgBS8Mye
— PFSN (@PFSN365) March 5, 2026
JPA also posted to X with an updated Bills offensive depth chart, including Moore in the mix as the immediate WR1.
“Updated Bills Offense:
QB: Josh Allen
RB: James Cook
WR: DJ Moore
WR: Khalil Shakir
WR: Keon Coleman
WR: Curtis Samuel
TE: Dalton Kincaid
TE: Dawson Knox
Loaded.”
Updated Bills Offense:
QB: Josh Allen
RB: James Cook
WR: DJ Moore
WR: Khalil Shakir
WR: Keon Coleman
WR: Curtis Samuel
TE: Dalton Kincaid
TE: Dawson KnoxLoaded.
— JPA (@jasrifootball) March 5, 2026
Rapoport quoted his own Moore trade announcement with some perspective on what the trade does to the receiver free agent market. “The Bills were among the teams monitoring the AJ Brown situation, but this trade knocks them out of that sweepstakes,” Rapoport posted on Thursday.
The #Bills were among the teams monitoring the AJ Brown situation, but this trade knocks them out of that sweepstakes. https://t.co/VP59BSOJBZ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 5, 2026
Moore’s 682 receiving yards in 2025 would have made him the second-highest in receiving yards for the Bills offense. While his 2025 campaign wasn’t up to his usual standards, he earned a C- in PFSN’s WR Impact Metric. In 2024, he had a B-; in 2023, a B+.
Regardless of the down season, Buffalo is bringing in a highly experienced player with more than 1,100 receiving yards in half of his seasons in the league. With a quarterback like Allen, perhaps this is where Moore creates a successful second chapter of his career.
