The Buffalo Bills Finally Got Josh Allen a True WR1
The Buffalo Bills have been given a wide receiver in virtually every mock draft. Now, they might not have as pressing a need. Josh Allen's been tasked with dragging a wide receiver group lacking a true star for a long time, but the Bills just pulled off a blockbuster and added DJ Moore in a trade.
Buffalo Bills add ex-Bears wide receiver DJ Moore
The Buffalo Bills have been searching for a dynamic weapon for Josh Allen. They've publicly criticized 2024 draft pick Keon Coleman, unfairly so, for not being that. They were expected to take a wide receiver no matter what in the draft.
Now, though, while they are still likely to draft one, it's not as imperative. If the value isn't there, they can afford to skip it because they have DJ Moore. The Chicago Bears' wideout was getting very costly and aging, so they traded him.
Moore faced low-effort accusations at times during his Bears tenure. Plus, with the young duo of Rome Odunze and Luther Burden, Moore was potentially going to slide down to WR3 while being paid WR1 money.
On the Bills, though, he's clearly the WR1, and he might be the key to unlocking the passing offense. Josh Allen is good, and Khalil Shakir is an underrated receiver. Still, he's not really a Pro Bowl-level talent. Moore is, or at least in the past he has been.
The cost wasn't exorbitant. They sent a 2026 second-round pick for Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick. A second-round pick is very valuable, but so is finally addressing the wide receiver issue. So is having the flexibility to draft the best player in the first round instead of being forced to take whatever wide receiver is left.
They are taking on a big contract, but good wide receivers cost money. Moore may not be as good as he once was, but he's still a good player. He's a little overpriced, but sometimes, that's the nature of a good player at a position of need.
Why DJ Moore makes sense
Additionally, according to Matt Harmon, DJ Moore and new Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady are a good match. For one thing, they're familiar after spending a little bit of time together. They were on the Panthers together, with Brady coordinating the offense, in 2020 and part of 2021.
Moore averaged 79.5 yards per game, the highest during his Panthers tenure, and over 18 yards per catch. Those are good numbers, the kind of thing Allen has needed out of his wide receivers for a very long time.
Harmon noticed three things Brady did with Moore:
- A lot of lining up as the X-receiver flanked by motion players
- Mostly in-breaking routes
- Moore's first true big season
The first two are important because the Bills have not had anyone able to do those two things at a high level in a while. That will add a new layer to their offense and make them more dynamic through the air. Plus, Harmon believes Brady's offense has improved since then, so this could end up being a match made in heaven.
The Bills have long had a dominant run game, thanks to both Josh Allen and James Cook. They've also been successful through the air, but that's largely thanks to Allen. They have good tight ends, but a good passing offense can't exactly thrive solely with tight ends.
Teams need players who can win outside. The Bills have Shakir, but he's a YAC machine that doesn't have as many deep routes. Moore can be that player for them, and he could add a whole new wrinkle to the team.
