Why is the Caleb Williams-DJ Moore connection struggling?

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – DJ Moore finished his first season with the Chicago Bears with career highs in receptions (93), receiving yards (1,364) and touchdowns (8). Following the trade that sent Moore and several picks to Chicago in return for the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the receiver quickly became Justin Fields’ favorite target on the field.

Through the first eight games of the 2023 season, Moore had caught 44 passes from Fields and Tyson Bagent for 691 yards, including a 230-yard outburst against the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football in Week 5.

The production just hasn’t been on the same level through eight games in 2024 – 37 receptions, 374 yards – with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in Fields’ place.

Why?

“I couldn’t tell you,” said Moore during his weekly availability at Halas Hall on Wednesday. “I mean, just reps? You can say Justin had more reps when I got here than me and Caleb have, just him being a rookie quarterback and Justin wasn’t a rookie quarterback last year.”

It’s a valid answer and makes sense when looking at the growth and efficiency in Moore’s usage from the first few weeks of the season until his two-touchdown performance against the Panthers in Week 5. You’d expect the rapport to come along, albeit slowly, as the rookie quarterback gets more comfortable with his weaponry.

However, since Moore’s 105-yard performance against Carolina, he has just 10 catches for 80 yards in three games. That’s not for lack of trying. Williams has targeted Moore 17 times, including several downfield strikes that just haven’t connected. It’s something the Bears need to solve for the offense to take a step forward and an area where Moore knows he can help the No. 1 overall pick improve.

Moore detailed, “Just knowing who we’re going against, the one-on-one matchups that we might have throughout the game and then understanding on the back end, the reads and where we’re at in situations, where he’s going through the read and how fast I’ve got to be or how slow I’ve got to be to stay in his vision. That’s the little details I can think of.”

It goes both ways. Moore can do everything in his power to make sure his quarterback succeeds, but at some point, Williams needs to find his deep ball. He knows it, too.

“Not being accurate, not being on time with things is frustrating because like you said, it’s kind of been my thing, something I’ve been at least pretty solid at and right now, I’m not as solid as I’ve been,” said Williams on Wednesday.

Sometimes it’s as simple as not trying to do everything. “[I have to] give my guys a chance like the one to DJ down the sideline that I missed slightly out of bounds. I tried to throw him a perfect ball instead [of giving] your seven-year, six-year guy a shot at making a catch.”

As for the on-field chemistry between the quarterback and receiver, Williams said, “Obviously it’s not in a place – from the past games – a place where we would like it.”

Despite outside noise and observation, the bond between the two is solid.  “I think it comes down to talking and communicating more. We talk all the time, we laugh and joke all the time and things like that but I think talking a little bit more and communicating a little bit more about specifics of ways I see it and the ways he sees it, ways he’s seeing it and then keep going from there.”

Moore is no stranger to that outside noise this year. His body language in certain moments has been a lingering talking point, and while he’s been adamant that it’s just his normal behavior, he found himself making waves online again after leaving the field and heading for the bench during a play while Caleb Williams scrambled to avoid heavy pressure on Sunday in Arizona.

Didn't notice this live, but on this extended scramble play that ended in OPI on Keenan Allen, DJ Moore took himself off the field with what looks like some kind of injury. He limped off at the end and sat on the bench. pic.twitter.com/YTnrZNDYfW

— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) November 4, 2024

On Wednesday, Moore explained that he tweaked his ankle during the play. “I was coming back because I’d seen Caleb was scrambling. My ankle went in and out. I was already – couldn’t stop so my momentum took me out of bounds and then I just walked off.”

“The noise, I hear it, seen it. Really didn’t care. It is what it is,” Moore added while addressing the outside criticism for his effort on the play. “They could take it how they want to. They (did) without even knowing what happened mid-play.”

Moore returned to the game on the next play, converting a third-and-3 later in the drive. But according to the receiver, the injury lingered throughout the rest of the game. “It didn’t clear up right away. I was doing a bunch of stuff on the sideline to keep me going throughout the game.”