'Little lineman' DJ Moore Fits into Halas Scene

Bears wide receiver DJ Moore might be planning a position switch.

At least, he's sort of fantasizing about one after seeing how he fits into the Halas Hall scene.

It must be cool to be a lineman.

"Every team got their few cliques of guys, but in essence everybody gets along with everybody," Moore said. "You know, the line hangs with the line, but I'm going to try to insert myself as a 'little lineman.' It just goes like that. You just have to be able to build yourself into a group."

After he had to cope with changes at quarterback in Carolina for years, Moore is now the new one dealing with change and fitting into a new group. He seems the type who takes changes in stride and even flourishes, as his kidding about being one of the linemen suggests.

"I look at every year as something new," Moore said. "Even when I was in Carolina for the five years, every year it was something new for me.

"So going in there, this is pretty easy."

If fitting in with the new team is part, so is getting his family settled in Chicago. He has done that with a new house, which was a matter high on his priority list back in the weeks right after his signing in March.

"My family has made it easy," Moore said. "They was here and made it easier. Every time I went out to go to work to like OTAs before hitting the field it was easy. They were still in the hotel but were still looking (for a house). We got a great realtor so it was good. Made it easy."

The other easier part—and a very important one—is picking up the offense. Moore made several catches in this week's open OTA practice at Halas Hall.

Part of making this production possible is getting on close terms with Justin Fields.

"Lot of joking been going on, seriousness in the meeting rooms," Moore said. "On the field, I ask a lot of questions.

"He comes to me to see what I am thinking and I go to him to see what he's thinking on it. So, that's a lot of back and forth."

Beyond his new QB, the scheme itself seems to suit Moore well.

"I feel good," Moore said. "I can move all around. Having the understanding of the playbook, once I get it down pat, to just being able to make the offense more chess for the defense on the other side.

"You can move people around without them even honing in on somebody."

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Last year the Bears played without a receiver they could truly call the established X-type on the outside.

Darnell Mooney has always been more of a slot or Z-type. Chase Claypool could have been an X-type but didn't arrive on the scene until the midpoint and didn't have the offense down.

It all led to constant position movement within the group. Some of this is desirable but stability seems to be taking hold.

"Of course DJ's No. 1," Fields said. "He's gonna play the X. Instead of them having to move around, they can just focus on their position.

"Of course they're going to have to know the whole concepts and stuff like that, but it's going to be good for them, just knowing their route, knowing their job, getting guys to run certain routes that they can get good at so that they can practice that. I think it's good for them. And it should be more consistent for them running the routes and more consistent for me throwing to them."

So while Moore is making a change, he's actually the one bringing change to the Bears.

And it's one they badly needed.

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