The Chicago Bears have some big decisions on the horizon before the team can even start thinking about adding new players in free agency and during the 2026 NFL Draft.
The most controversial decision coming up for the Bears is what happens with veteran wide receiver DJ Moore. Moore is slated to have the highest cap hit on the entire team in 2026 and that price is nowhere near the level of production he brought to the offense this past season.
The Bears realistically only have two options to make, either restructure Moore’s contract and commit more money to him in future years, or attempt to find a trade partner to take on his remaining contract.
And the important thing to factor in when considering Option B is how will the Bears look to replace the veteran wide receiver, which is what makes things even more complicated.
External WR options might force the Bears to stick it out with DJ Moore in 2026
The Bears were hoping to have full confidence in Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III going into the 2026 season, which would have made moving on from Moore an easier decision.
Odunze, however, had his hot start to his sophomore season cooled by a lingering foot injury while Burden slowly worked his way into the offense during his rookie year after missing most of training camp.
Both players still have a lot of promise going into next season, but potentially parting ways with Moore would create a large void in the room that would be hard to replace.
In theory, Odunze would keep his role with Burden stepping up to replace Moore as the X, which only leaves a void at the WR3 spot in the slot. But the external options aren’t that promising compared to what Moore can offer.
In free agency, here are the top guys that would fit within the Bears price range that can take over that slot role with Burden moving to the X.
Wan’Dale Robinson
Marquise Brown
Christian Kirk
Jalen Nailor
It’s not really a promising group looking at the second-third tier wide receivers on the open market.
But, what about finding a potential wide receiver replacement in the NFL Draft? Earlier today, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah noted the incoming draft class is deep at WR and DL but the WRs might go higher than the Bears are comfortable drafting.
Jeremiah’s first mock draft of the cycle had four wide receivers selected before the Bears’ first selection (Makai Lemon, Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, and Denzel Boston).
Latest draft intel from A to Z Sports revealed that Omar Cooper Jr. is quickly rising as a first-round option as well, and even KC Concepcion has received first-round buzz.
Even if the Bears move on from Moore, it’d still be difficult to burn a first-round pick at the wide receiver position given all of the needs on defense. So, at that point, here’s the prospects you’d be looking at in the second/third-round range.
Elijah Sarratt
Ja’Kobi Lane
Malachi Fields
Zachariah Branch
Bryce Lance
If that’s indeed the expected options for the Bears to consider, they might be better off keeping Moore on the roster and finding a way to rework his contract to provide some 2026 relief, even if it hurts the team further down the road.
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