The Bills believe DJ Moore can fill a role nobody has owned lately

Back in 2020 when wide receiver Stefon Diggs joined the Buffalo Bills, cornerback Tre’Davious White was pumped up for what was to come. Obviously for what Diggs would bring to the offense, but also what he would do for White in practice.

>At the time both players were emerging stars and White knew that facing Diggs every day would only make each player better, and he was right about that. When they went head-to-head in training camp at St. John Fisher University, those were among the most interesting and competitive reps to watch.

>Second-year cornerback Maxwell Hairston had a similar reaction this past spring when he heard the news that the Bills had acquired veteran wide receiver DJ Moore in a trade from the Bears in March.

>“I like that. As soon as we got him, I was like, 'Oh, those reps are going to be good,'” Hairston recalled during OTAs in June. “That's iron sharpening iron. DJ is a guy where I know I can get better from and I know he can get better from me, so we’re just going to go at it, man.”

What DJ Moore brings to the Bills'

>Moore is a little further down the road in his career than Diggs was when he came to Buffalo, but he will be expected to have a big impact. When Diggs arrived, he was immediately the best wideout on the team and with all apologies to Khalil Shakir, Moore is now the best receiver Buffalo has.

>Asking Moore to produce the way Diggs did - 445 catches for 5,372 yards and 37 TDs in four outstanding seasons - is out of the question as he begins his age 29 season, but asking him to be the lead dog for a wide receiving corps that needs one is perfectly reasonable.

>After catching 364 passes for 5,201 yards and 21 touchdowns in five seasons with the Panthers, Moore had two great years in 2023 and 2024 with the Bears (194 catches for 2,330 yards and 14 TDs) before he took a dip in 2025.

>He had career lows with 50 receptions and 682 yards, partly because Bears’ quarterback Caleb Williams struggled with his accuracy (58.1%) but also Moore ceded playing time and targets to young receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden plus tight ends Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet. Yet it was the wily vet Moore who caught the game-winning 25-yard pass with 1:43 remaining in Chicago’s 31-27 wild-card comeback victory over the Packers.

>Bills coach Joe Brady and new backup QB Kyle Allen were with Moore briefly in Carolina and Brady recounted something Allen said to him at the start of the offseason program regarding Moore.

>“Kyle Allen, who was actually with DJ before I was, he was like, ‘Man, he looks the same,’” Brady said. “I was so excited when we traded for him and I'm more excited after getting to work with him for an offseason. His demeanor, his approach, his leadership - he's out there, he's practicing, he's pushing through … and I think there is so much to that. He's leading in the room.”

>Leading the room is great; that’s what Diggs did, too. But like Diggs, Moore needs to lead with his performance because Josh Allen hasn’t had a reliable downfield threat on the outside since Diggs’ departure after the 2023 season.

How the Bills' receiving corps fits around DJ MooreShakir does great work in the short areas with his ability to turn quick passes into productive plays and he’s a trusted Allen confidant. But Joshua Palmer proved to be an injury-plagued disappointment in 2025 and no one knows what he can be moving forward, while Keon Coleman has been a continually inconsistent player who is still trying to establish his worth.

>Fans are excited about rookie fourth-round draft pick Skyler Bell but he probably won’t be counted on at least early and it might be a struggle for him to earn a game-day jersey, especially if the Bills use the fifth wide receiver spot on Trent Sherfield because of his special teams value and his strength in run blocking situations.

>Even without a dynamic receiving corps the Bills’ offense has been one of the most prolific in the league, but it needs new blood and Moore provides that.

>“I think I’m a combination of all different things,” Moore said. “I play hard, play tough, nothing really bothers me and just all around, just have fun and just go out there and make exciting plays. Everybody does different things and I just look to come in and just be a mold and just fit any way I can and go with it from there and hope everybody is ready to work. The talent (in Buffalo) and Josh has been playing at a high level, so just to join him is something great.”

>Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 37 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.

>This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: The Bills believe DJ Moore can fill a role nobody has owned lately