{"id":163846,"date":"2026-04-03T10:34:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T15:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/?p=163846"},"modified":"2026-04-03T10:34:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T15:34:00","slug":"chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Bears coach addresses unfortunate development during offseason"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chicago Bears entered the offseason facing a significant setback after losing wide receiver DJ Moore. The 28-year-old\u2019s departure leaves a major gap in the offense and raises questions about the team\u2019s direction. Head coach Ben Johnson addressed the situation and revealed how the team will adjust moving forward.<\/p>\n

The Bears traded the star receiver to the Buffalo Bills in March in exchange for a 2026 second-round draft pick. The move cleared significant salary cap space but removed the primary target for quarterback Caleb Williams.<\/p>\n

Moore was a key part of Chicago\u2019s passing offense and among its most dependable players. He excelled in creating separation and gaining extra yards after catching the ball. With him gone, the Bears lose both his on-field performance and his experience as a veteran leader.<\/p>\n

\"Chicago
Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) reacts after catching the game-winning forty-six yard touchdown pass thrown by quarterback Caleb Williams.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chicago Bears\u2019 coach Ben Johnson on next steps following DJ Moore\u2019s departure<\/b><\/h2>\n

Johnson, in his second season as Bears\u2019 head coach, recently addressed the unfortunate development<\/a> of losing a cornerstone player. He indicated that the team will not designate a direct successor to Moore\u2019s WR1 role immediately. Instead, the coaching staff plans to replace the wideout\u2019s production using players beyond just the receiving group.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a competition between the receiver room, the tight end room and the running back room,\u201d Johnson said, via Mark Carman of the “CHGO Bears” podcast.<\/a><\/p>\n

The wide receiver group is now shifting its focus to developing younger talent like Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. These high-draft picks from the past two seasons must now handle increased defensive scrutiny. To assist in the transition, the Bears signed former Detroit Lions veteran receiver Kalif Raymond to a one-year deal in mid-March.<\/p>\n

There will also be pressure on the team\u2019s tight ends to be dependable targets for the quarterback. Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland have long arms and can make important catches to keep drives going. The Bears could potentially utilize two-tight-end formations more often in the upcoming season.<\/p>\n

As the 2026 campaign approaches, Johnson is focusing on improving the offense that helped Chicago win last year\u2019s NFC North title.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Chicago Bears entered the offseason facing a significant setback after losing wide receiver DJ Moore. The 28-year-old\u2019s departure leaves a major gap in the offense and raises questions about the team\u2019s direction. Head coach Ben Johnson addressed the situation and revealed how the team will adjust moving forward. The Bears traded the star receiver<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":560,"featured_media":161034,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,6863],"tags":[7655,3226,49,1974],"class_list":{"0":"post-163846","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicagobears","8":"category-chicago-bears-news","9":"tag-ben-johnson","10":"tag-buffalo-bills","11":"tag-chicago-bears","12":"tag-dj-moore"},"yoast_head":"\nChicago Bears coach addresses unfortunate development during offseason<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson reveals his plans after losing a crucial piece to his offense heading into 2026.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chicago Bears coach addresses unfortunate development during offseason\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson reveals his plans after losing a crucial piece to his offense heading into 2026.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ChiCitySports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/chicitysportscom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-03T15:34:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28330296_168419782_lowres-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1706\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Paolo Songco\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@paolosongconba\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@chicitysports23\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Paolo Songco\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Paolo Songco\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36ba2a07b5c0a1bd42d1473ba8087150\"},\"headline\":\"Chicago Bears coach addresses unfortunate development during offseason\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-03T15:34:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/\"},\"wordCount\":385,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28330296_168419782_lowres-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Ben Johnson\",\"Buffalo Bills\",\"Chicago Bears\",\"DJ Moore\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Chicago Bears\",\"Chicago Bears News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/\",\"name\":\"Chicago Bears coach addresses unfortunate development during offseason\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28330296_168419782_lowres-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-03T15:34:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson reveals his plans after losing a crucial piece to his offense heading into 2026.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28330296_168419782_lowres-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28330296_168419782_lowres-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1706,\"caption\":\"Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Chicago Bears\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicagobears\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Chicago Bears coach addresses unfortunate development during offseason\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/\",\"name\":\"ChiCitySports\",\"description\":\"All Chicago Sports, every day\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"ChiCitySports\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/chiCityLogo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/chiCityLogo.png\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":1024,\"caption\":\"ChiCitySports\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/chicitysportscom\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/chicitysports23\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/chicitysports\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36ba2a07b5c0a1bd42d1473ba8087150\",\"name\":\"Paolo Songco\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/aae9bed68ec3ac30f6db953ffb56cffeca6177f92526869c358dbcdcd2d0b8cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/aae9bed68ec3ac30f6db953ffb56cffeca6177f92526869c358dbcdcd2d0b8cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/aae9bed68ec3ac30f6db953ffb56cffeca6177f92526869c358dbcdcd2d0b8cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Paolo Songco\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/paolosongconba\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/author\/pao-songco\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Chicago Bears coach addresses unfortunate development during offseason","description":"Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson reveals his plans after losing a crucial piece to his offense heading into 2026.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Chicago Bears coach addresses unfortunate development during offseason","og_description":"Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson reveals his plans after losing a crucial piece to his offense heading into 2026.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/","og_site_name":"ChiCitySports","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/chicitysportscom\/","article_published_time":"2026-04-03T15:34:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1706,"url":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28330296_168419782_lowres-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Paolo Songco","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@paolosongconba","twitter_site":"@chicitysports23","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Paolo Songco","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/"},"author":{"name":"Paolo Songco","@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36ba2a07b5c0a1bd42d1473ba8087150"},"headline":"Chicago Bears coach addresses unfortunate development during offseason","datePublished":"2026-04-03T15:34:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/"},"wordCount":385,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28330296_168419782_lowres-scaled.jpg","keywords":["Ben Johnson","Buffalo Bills","Chicago Bears","DJ Moore"],"articleSection":["Chicago Bears","Chicago Bears News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/","url":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/","name":"Chicago Bears coach addresses unfortunate development during offseason","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28330296_168419782_lowres-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-03T15:34:00+00:00","description":"Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson reveals his plans after losing a crucial piece to his offense heading into 2026.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28330296_168419782_lowres-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USATSI_28330296_168419782_lowres-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1706,"caption":"Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicago-bears-coach-addresses-unfortunate-development-dj-moore\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Chicago Bears","item":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/chicagobears\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Chicago Bears coach addresses unfortunate development during offseason"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/","name":"ChiCitySports","description":"All Chicago Sports, every day","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#organization","name":"ChiCitySports","url":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/chiCityLogo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/chiCityLogo.png","width":1024,"height":1024,"caption":"ChiCitySports"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/chicitysportscom\/","https:\/\/x.com\/chicitysports23","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/chicitysports"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36ba2a07b5c0a1bd42d1473ba8087150","name":"Paolo Songco","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/aae9bed68ec3ac30f6db953ffb56cffeca6177f92526869c358dbcdcd2d0b8cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/aae9bed68ec3ac30f6db953ffb56cffeca6177f92526869c358dbcdcd2d0b8cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/aae9bed68ec3ac30f6db953ffb56cffeca6177f92526869c358dbcdcd2d0b8cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Paolo Songco"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/paolosongconba"],"url":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/author\/pao-songco\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/560"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163846"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163846\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":163847,"href":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163846\/revisions\/163847"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chicitysports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}