Ryan Poles: You've got to be excited about Justin Fields-DJ Moore connection
The excitement continues to build in Chicago as Justin Fields and D.J. Moore develop a connection during training camp. The Bears made a big splash over the offseason when they acquired Moore — not to mention plenty of draft capital — in exchange for the No. 1 pick.
Through training camp, general manager Ryan Poles likes what he sees.
Multiple reports indicated Poles didn’t want to complete the deal with Carolina without Moore as part of the trade package, and he acknowledged how tough that was for the Panthers to give up their best weapon. Now that Moore is in Chicago, Poles said Bears fans have just seen the beginning of the Fields-to-Moore partnership that could become a familiar phrase in 2023.
“There’s a lot different scenarios, but that was one that I was convicted about, for sure, which [was] obviously well-documented,” Poles said of acquiring Moore on The Rich Eisen Show. “It was really hard for Carolina to get to that point. But I was excited to get him in the building.
“And I’ll tell you what, if you’re at training camp, you see the plays that he’s making and the chemistry him and Justin have built so far, you’ve got to be excited for what this season’s going to look like.”
Fields suffered from a lack of weapons in his first full season as the starter in 2022, both on the offensive line and at receiver. Tight end Cole Kmet led Chicago in receiving yards with 544 yards as Fields threw for 2,242 yards. Wide receiver Darnell Mooney had the most yards of any wide receiver with just 493 while appearing in just 12 games.
To put that in perspective, Moore had 888 receiving yards in 2022 and has had over 1,000 yards three times in his five-year career. His 5,201 career yards is also more than any other Bears receiver in franchise history.
That said, Poles noted the bond that has to exist between a quarterback and a receiver. The Bears just put pads on for the first time this week with the preseason opener coming in just a few days. So far, Fields is learning the timing with Moore’s speed and there’s a trust between the two.
That’s a big reason why Poles thinks they’re just scratching the surface — and why Bears fans have every reason to be excited.
“Anytime you add a new receiver, there’s a timing element that’s got to be put together and they’ve got to know what yardage to get to in terms of the routes and also kind of understand the speed that receivers can give,” Poles said. “How are they when they get to the top of their route? You can see that flow. You can see anticipation from Justin, which is cool to see. And also trust. The trust element. Can you just go let it rip and let your guy go make a play?
“We’ve been able to see that form him so far in camp. Obviously, we’ve got a long ways to go before the season, so I only think it’s going to get better.”