Are We Undervaluing DJ Moore's Impact on Josh Allen?

For years, the Bills were urged to get Josh Allen help and that's exactly what they did with DJ Moore.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver DJ Moore runs a pass route in the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ever since trading away Stefon Diggs ahead of the 2024 season, the Buffalo Bills have been searching for help at wide receiver. The thought process behind moving Diggs was allowing Josh Allen to distribute the ball everywhere without concern for feeding a WR1.

The "everybody eats" mantra sounds great in theory and the Bills have had success in the regular season. When things get tough in the playoffs, however, Allen has been asked to do too much on his own in the passing game. That's led to far too many turnovers and plenty of heartbreak.

Buffalo traded for DJ Moore this offseason in an attempt to fix the problem, and his addition has been criticized. That was until we saw Moore and Allen connect for 61 yards on three receptions in the preseason opener. Fans have much more confidence in the move now, and they're not alone.

Former NFL cornerback Dominique Foxworth recently discussed Moore's role with the Bills and said Moore is being undervalued, claiming he can change everything for the offense.

"You're undervaluing how important that player could be though. Like if they do have that player consistently, it changes the way that defenses approach them and it changes the amount of pressure. I think that as much as we want to say that Buffalo has failed Josh Allen, in this playoff game, Josh Allen had a rough time and a lot of turnovers. And I think that in part, that's about having other options that's not like, you saved my life," Foxworth said on ESPN's Get Up.

Not only does Foxworth believe Moore can take pressure off of Allen, while forcing defenses to attack differently, but he says his talent with the ball in his hands will be a major benefit as well. According to Foxworth, Moore can take a three-yard play and turn it into eight, which is sometimes the difference between punting the ball and extending a drive.

"Throwing to DJ Moore, the reason why he's like a YAC guy really helps is like, sometimes you can just get it to DJ Moore three yards away from the line of scrimmage and he going to get you eight."

We saw this in action on Moore's first reception from Allen this past weekend. On second-and-eight during the opening drive, Moore hauled in a pass four yards from the line of scrimmage, then turned up field for a 32-yard gain to put the offensive in scoring position.

Buffalo plans to attack more vertically this year but these short passes that turn into chunk gains have been a staple for Joe Brady, going back to his days in Carolina while Moore was his WR1. That's why Foxworth is accurate in saying doubters are undervaluing what Moore will bring to the table.

Even if he doesn't record 1,000 yards, the threat he possesses will help everyone eat, and that's exactly why he was brought in.

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