The Buffalo Bills need a much-deserved bye week after securing their fifth win of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. One reason the Bills could benefit from a bye is that several players are recovering from injuries, including wide receiver DJ Moore.
Moore missed the last two games, one against the Los Angeles Rams and the other against the Raiders, as he deals with an AC joint injury in his shoulder.
But head coach Joe Brady said on Monday that Moore could return when the Bills come back from their bye week on Nov. 1 to take on the Baltimore Ravens.
“I like to think that they’re close,” Brady said about Moore and Ed Oliver, who is also dealing with an injury, via Alex Brasky. “The hope and the intet is for them to be back next week and we will look and see what this week kind of looks like.”
DJ Moore Has Only Played in Four Games This Season
Moore has appeared in four games this season, recording 12 receptions for 179 yards and one score. However, he has only stayed healthy in two of those games.
In Week 2 against the Detroit Lions, Moore left the game after not registering a statistic in the first half due to a shoulder injury. Then, in Week 4, he exited the game with another shoulder injury in a loss to the New England Patriots.
But in two full games this season, Moore has caught five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown in a Week 1 win over the Houston Texans, and six targets for 67 yards in a Week 2 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Bills need Moore back on the field as soon as possible to establish a connection with Josh Allen, as the playoffs will be here before you know it.
Moore and Allen Have Chemistry
Even though Moore and Allen haven’t played together long, they have built chemistry since the offseason.
“I think our off-field chemistry, friendship has accelerated the on-field connection, so we talk almost every other play about something, dealing with a route,” Moore said in August, via The Big Lead’s Josh Sanchez “You’re having fun with Josh, but when you step on the field, he’s a whole different animal, and you’ve got to lock in yourself because you know he wants to win and win bad.
“In my gut, that’s what I’m willing to do, go out there and win every rep for him, and the rest of the receivers are going to do the same thing, and it’s been fun.”
If Moore returns in Week 8 and builds a connection with Allen for the rest of the season, the two could be tough in the postseason. Allen needs a reliable No. 1 receiver, as he had with Stefon Diggs from 2020 to 2023, and Moore could be that player if he returns to health.
Bills HC Joe Brady Addresses DJ Moore’s Availability Before Bye Week