Will D.J. Moore's Career Come Close to Steve Smith's?
D.J. Moore is one of the most realistic candidates to receive the next big payday from the Panthers. The wide receiver's rookie contract is almost expired, and he has produced statistics impressive enough to warrant an expensive deal that matches his value. It seems likely that he will receive a larger contract than Panthers legend Steve Smith, which will raise expectations for Moore in the coming years.
Since D.J. Moore joined Carolina, comparisons between him and Steve Smith have been made, and rightfully so.
Moore is considered by many to be the best receiver on the Panthers roster since Steve Smith, who is arguably the greatest player to ever wear the black and blue. Smith is a future hall-of-famer and will go down as one of the best wide receivers in NFL history. With that being said, D.J. Moore is on the path to stardom and has the potential to produce numbers comparable to Smith's in the future.
Times have changed...
The NFL is more pass oriented than it was in the early 2000s, so Moore is at a major advantage to produce better numbers than Smith when it is all said and done. He is on a path that is eerily similar to Agent 89's, despite the fact that they faced different circumstances when they first entered the league.
Let's compare their first two seasons.
Smith was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft while D.J. Moore was selected in the first round. Expectations from the organization were much higher for the first rounder than they were for Smith, and the amount of starts and targets the two had highlight this fact. Smith started one game in 2001 and 13 games in 2002; Moore started in 10 games in 2018 and 15 games in 2019. From 2001-2002, Steve Smith was targeted 118 times while D.J. Moore was targeted nearly twice as much (217) from 2018-2019.
In Steve Smith's first two years, he produced 64 receptions for 1,026 yards and three touchdowns. To compare, Moore had 142 receptions for 1,963 yards and six touchdowns in his first two years. If Moore continues to develop under Joe Brady's new offense, he could have a breakout season in his third year. Guess who had his breakout year in year three with 88 receptions for 1110 yards and seven touchdowns? Crazy to believe, right? Assuming that the Panthers retain Moore for the foreseeable future, it would be ideal if he could match Smith's legendary status. Based on Moore's performance, he has the potential to make it happen.
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