Khalil Shakir Explains How D.J. Moore's Mentality Makes Him Perfect Bills' Fit

Moore's first season with Buffalo is highly anticipated after a down 2025 with the Bears

Former Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) makes a touchdown catch against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Soldier Field. | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Now that the Buffalo Bills are in OTAs, it's time for the team to gel. One of their veteran players thinks D.J. Moore is doing that just fine early on.

Khalil Shakir spoke to the Bills' media on Wednesday after the second of three OTA practices this week. The fifth-year wideout spoke glowingly about his new running mate, saying Moore's a "vibe" in the WR room.

"He definitely brings that dog mentality to our room," said Shakir of Moore, who was traded to Buffalo in March. "That 'I'm gonna go out there and beat you one on one, and I'm gonna let you know, too.'"

DJ Moore seems to be fitting nicely inside the Bills WR room. pic.twitter.com/X6KC0QusKc

— Josh Reed (@4JoshReed) May 27, 2026

New leader at WR1

Shakir would go on to call Moore a "natural-born leader." And that can be confirmed by his play on the field, having posted four 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his career. But you can also see what type of leader he is by his tenure with the Bears.

Although it was a down season in 2025, Moore did not make a big stink about the emergence of players like Luther Burden and Rome Odunze. He actually noted how he wanted to take the young wideouts under his wing as their mentor.

His former QB, Caleb Williams, opened up on Moore being traded in April, too.

"And then on my side of it, personal side, you obviously miss the guy," Williams said. "I'm excited for him, the rest of his career and to see what he does.”

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) shakes hands with former wide receiver DJ Moore (2) during warm ups prior to the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

It's also encouraging knowing Moore isn't the type of WR that will command headlines off the field. Even though he's slated to be WR1, there will almost certainly be weeks where Shakir, Skyler Bell, Dalton Kincaid, or Keon Coleman garner more targets than him in a game. That does not seem to affect how Moore shows up.

The Maryland product has historically kept things on the field, unlike other receivers who may be expressing frustrations about their franchise. Brandon Aiyuk's situation in San Francisco comes to mind here.

Shakir noted that watching Moore every day pushes this team to "want to be great" because of how he carries himself. If that does not show how integral Moore's leadership will be for the Bills, I'm not sure what else will.

Josh Allen gives an update on DJ Moore... pic.twitter.com/DEkK7YZTN5

— Centered on Buffalo (@thebuffalopod) May 27, 2026