DJ Moore understands for the first time that he might be in trouble. No, that doesn't mean in a traditional sense. He's been well-behaved off the field. This is more about his status inside the locker room. For years, Moore has stood as the unquestioned #1 target in every offense he played on. It was true in Carolina and again in his first two years with the Chicago Bears. Things seem to have changed. That was evident from Moore's comments about the outlook for the Bears' wide receiver room this season.
Despite only being 28 years old, he is the veteran of a suddenly young group. It isn't just youth that is the problem, though. The talent is also beyond evident. Moore admitted during mandatory minicamps that Rome Odunze is poised for big things this year.
"Even though I’m not that old in the room, they are like, what? Rome just turned 23 today. Happy birthday to him. But just seeing them just follow behind my lead and just grow from there. Rome's taken a step up this year, I can already tell. And then Lu (WR Luther Burden III) who we drafted in the second round, I can't wait to see what he does. I saw him in rookie minicamp doing a lot of things. So that's that."
Moore is in a difficult position. On the one hand, he's thrilled that his young teammate is taking steps to get better. It means the Bears' offense will be better, leading to more wins. Conversely, it also means fewer targets for him because Caleb Williams will be inclined to look Rome's way more often.
DJ Moore is finding out Ben Johnson wasn't lying.
He warned the wide receiver that he had better get comfortable being uncomfortable. This marks the first time DJ Moore has had genuine competition for the #1 receiver spot. Odunze showed plenty of flashes last season. Williams often looked his way in big moments despite being a rookie. Now he's reportedly added significant upper body strength in addition to further polishing his route-running skills. There is a reason the Bears drafted him 9th overall. They saw a potential superstar. The fact that he serves as the perfect source of motivation for Moore is merely a convenient byproduct. He seems to understand that his presence alone is no longer enough to command targets. If he wants to maintain his status as a top guy in the offense, he'll have to earn it. Odunze has made it clear he's not bowing to anybody.
