RP Clips: Is DJ Moore the Right Fit for Buffalo?

**Matt Harmon** (0:00)
This is Reception Perception, The Show. Now, James Koh and Matt Harmon. And I think the wild card here is DJ Moore, because I just, you know, I've been starting to do more season preview content, you know, starting to guest on podcasts and stuff, and I've started to get, you know, some DJ Moore questions, and I just like don't, I don't really know how I feel about DJ Moore in this bill's offense, especially from, honestly, both from a production standpoint and a real life standpoint. I get why they acquired him. I think he is still a useful player. He obviously has familiarity with Joe Brady, the play caller now and head coach for the Buffalo Bills, but it was a desperate need, but essentially what they're doing is just saying like, hey, we insert DJ Moore here, we go to work, all our problems are solved, because the only other major addition, quote unquote major addition they made in the room is Skyler Bell. And I think Skyler Bell went in the right range for his skill set. He was to me a day three receiver that I think in time could be a speed Z option, could even open the season as the wide receiver three if he has a better training camp than Keon Coleman or Josh Palmer, which is like to me a low bar to clear. I think he could be the third receiver to open the season, which I think will be a big win for Skyler Bell. Skill set probably fits the offense too. But again, my point in saying all that is essentially, it's just like DJ Moore is the main acquisition here. And I just really don't know where I'm at with DJ Moore at this point in his NFL career. He's been in the league since 2018
This is his third NFL team. Typically, we don't see receivers jump another level once they get to their third team at this point in their careers.
And he's coming off two down seasons, like back to back and not just statistically either. That's the thing. I do think you can do a lot of context with the per route data and some of his fall off from a stats-based perspective. One, because I just don't think him and Caleb Williams ever fully clicked, and I don't think he was a good fit in Ben Johnson's offense. And I also think the way Caleb Williams has played in his first two years, which this is not something that should haunt him the rest of his career, but he might just be a guy where some of these players have lower per route data because he gets into creation mode and hasn't really clicked as a creation mode quarterback just yet. Anyways, whole other side topic. My point is saying all that is that not even just the stats are down for DJ Moore. Reception perception wise, he was better in 2025 than 2024 63% success rate versus man in 2024, 67% in 2025, about 77% success rate versus zone, which is pretty close to what he did in 2024 But those numbers are all down from his final year in Carolina, where he was a 71% success rate versus man player. He was kind of 72 to 71% all the way through from 2020 to 2022
I don't really know what to do with that, right? I don't think he's declined physically or anything like that. I think he still has some speed and has some juice. I think he will provide something of what the bills need. And I do think he fits well with Josh Allen, who's not like a details oriented quarterback with his wide receivers, as I've talked about on the show. But he's just like the wild card to me here, because I don't really know what we're going to get from him in 2026

**James Koh** (3:23)
Yeah, again, it's just when you look at his numbers, they're in decline. And so it's really hard to build the case that he's going to improve in Buffalo. Look, when Stefan Diggs went from Minnesota to Buffalo, it was a different story. It was a different ballgame. And I think a lot of people are bringing that comparison in when they're talking about DJ Moore. It's just, listen, man, they're not even in the same ballpark in terms of route running and crispiness and just all that kind of stuff, right?

**Matt Harmon** (3:54)
So even with that aside, like where they're at in their careers too, you know, Diggs was still, there clearly was more to be mined from him there. And it was his second NFL team, you know, this, again, this is DJ Moore's third NFL team. He's deeper into his career at this point. Diggs was traded to Buffalo after he was drafted in 2015, and he was traded going to the 2020 season. It was his fifth year versus, for DJ Moore, this is what his one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eighth season, eighth, ninth season in the league.