Bears move on from D.J. Moore

The Chicago Bears entered the 2026 offseason with a different question at wide receiver than they had a year earlier: who replaces D.J. Moore’s volume, and how much of that work shifts to younger players already on the roster? ChiCitySports reported that Chicago moved on from Moore and Olamide Zacchaeus, leaving a thinner veteran layer around quarterback Caleb Williams. The change puts Rome Odunze and Luther Burden at the center of the discussion. Da Windy City wrote that Burden finished his rookie season with 652 receiving yards and two touchdowns, production the outlet described as part of the Bears’ confidence in him entering Year 2. Caleb Williams, meanwhile, is coming off a 2025 season in which ESPN’s player page lists him at 3,942 passing yards, 27 touchdown passes and seven interceptions, with 388 rushing yards and three rushing scores. (chicitysports.com) Sports Illustrated, citing an ESPN analyst, said Williams was ranked among the top 10 quarterbacks entering 2026. ### Where did Moore actually go, and why does that matter? (dawindycity.com) FOX 32 Chicago reported in February that the Bears traded Moore to the Buffalo Bills, ending a run in Chicago that began with the 2023 trade down from the No. 1 overall pick. The station said Moore had a contract extension set to begin in 2026 and cited Spotrac figures showing the move’s salary-cap effect. (espn.com) ChiCitySports later framed the broader issue as one of replacement. Its May report said Chicago had also moved on from Zacchaeus and had not fully replaced either player, pointing instead to additions such as Kalif Raymond and rookie Zavion Thomas. ### Why is Burden getting so much attention? Da Windy City said Chicago’s offseason behavior pointed to what it called “complete and utter confidence” in Burden. (fox32chicago.com) The outlet tied that view to his 652-yard, two-touchdown rookie season and to a late stretch in which he topped 60 receiving yards in three of his final four games. That matters because Burden’s numbers were already close to Odunze’s 2025 output. (chicitysports.com) Yahoo Sports reported that Odunze finished with 661 receiving yards after a season disrupted by a stress fracture in his foot, while Burden had 47 catches for 652 yards. ### Is Odunze ready to be the No. 1 option? Yahoo Sports reported Friday that Bears assistant coach Antwaan Randle El wants to see another step from Odunze in 2026 after an uneven 2025 season. (dawindycity.com) The report said Odunze opened last year with five touchdown catches in his first four games, then caught one more touchdown the rest of the season and missed the final five regular-season games with a foot injury. (ca.sports.yahoo.com) FOX 32 Chicago has separately identified Odunze’s readiness to become the team’s No. 1 receiver as one of the Bears’ key offseason questions. That places his development alongside Burden’s as a central part of Chicago’s pass-game planning. ### How much pressure does this put on Williams? ESPN’s 2025 stats show Williams finished seventh in passing yards and sixth in touchdown passes, while placing 16th in Total QBR at 58.2. (sports.yahoo.com) Those numbers help explain why outside evaluators have raised his standing even as Chicago’s receiver room has changed. Sports Illustrated said an ESPN analyst placed Williams ahead of quarterbacks including Jordan Love and Jared Goff entering 2026. (fox32chicago.com) That ranking, as presented by SI, comes as Chicago asks a younger receiving group to absorb snaps and targets once handled by Moore and Zacchaeus. ### What does the depth chart look like from here? ChiCitySports said the Bears added Raymond in free agency and drafted Thomas in the third round, but presented Odunze and Burden as the main answers already on the roster. (espn.com) USA Today’s Bears Wire also described the position group in February as one built around two young stars with a major veteran decision hanging over it. Training camp will give the next public read on that reshaped group. The players to watch are Williams at quarterback, Odunze and Burden at the top of the receiver rotation, and the newer depth options Chicago added after moving on from Moore and Zacchaeus. (chicitysports.com)