The Carolina Panthers reportedly added DJ Moore to their NFL Draft trade with the Chicago Bears for two reasons, and one of them was to avoid giving up a player they valued more.
The order for the 2023 NFL Draft was shaken up in a major way last month when the Carolina Panthers made the bold move of moving from nine, all the way up to the top spot via a blockbuster trade with the Chicago Bears.
Rumors had circulated for weeks that the Bears were willing to part with the first pick in April’s event, however, teams like the Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, and Indianapolis Colts were seen as the strongest contenders to get a deal done. Yet it was the Panthers that was the organization that moved up to take one of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft class.
Related: NFL Draft order: Picks by team, Rounds 1-7, and compensatory picks
When looking at the return that Chicago received, it is a strong offering. It includes the ninth and 61st picks overall this month, as well as a first-round selection next year, and a second in 2025. However, one of the most notable parts of the deal was the inclusion of talented wide receiver DJ Moore. He will now give Bears QB Justin Fields the legitimate WR1 he lacked last season.
It was a fantastic return for Bears general manager Ryan Poles, especially when considering the addition of Moore. Well, it seems that the Carolina Panthers were reluctantly willing to include the wide receiver in the deal for two specific reasons.
Carolina Panthers record (2022): 7-10 tied for second in NFC South
On Monday, The Athletic published a story detailing how the blockbuster deal came together. As rumors spread that the Bears were willing to move their pick, Poles made it known he felt the top selection in this 2023 NFL Draft would fetch a return of three first-round picks. The Carolina Panthers reportedly felt that DJ Moore — a former first-round pick — had the same value of an opening-round selection and chose to include him so they would only need to part with two first-round picks instead of three.
However, Chicago was interested in other players beyond Moore. The report claims they also had eyes for pass rusher Brian Burns, and defensive tackle Derrick Brown. In the end, those players were viewed as harder to replace than Moore as Carolina Panthers GM Scott Fitterer explained to the outlet.
“There were certain players that we never really wanted to trade. It’s so hard to replace a Derrick Brown or Brian Burns, a pass rusher [and] an interior, dominant young player on a [first] contract. D.J., we didn’t want to move either. But it’s a little bit easier to replace a receiver than it is a pass rusher or a three-tech,” Fitterer said.