Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen won’t have much of a learning curve with his newest target.
The team made a blockbuster move to improve the wide receiving corps this offseason, trading for DJ Moore and giving Allen a new potential No. 1 receiver. Allen spoke about his new teammate at OTAs this week, saying it won’t be hard to build a rapport with the deep threat.
Josh Allen Already Familiar With DJ Moore
Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Tuesday, Allen said that he and Moore first connected after the 2018 NFL draft.
“We go, actually, way back,” Allen said, via Pro Football Talk. “We sat next to each other at the rookie premiere, signing Panini cards and autograph cards next to each other. … So, [we were] getting some good conversations back then.
“It’s pretty cool to have him here now.”
The Bills met for the second round of optional OTAs this week, bringing Allen together with several new teammates. Allen said he has already built a connection with Moore, who has fit in quickly with the rest of the team.
“He’s really one of the guys,” Allen said. “Obviously, it’s a really natural relationship that we have. Fits in this locker room extremely well, very talkative with the guys. And just very excited to work with him.”
Moore is coming off a season where he made 50 receptions for 682 yards and six touchdowns for the Chicago Bears. His production has steadily dipped since 2023, when he had a career-best 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns.
Allen said OTAs were a good chance to test things out with his new teammate, building successes and learning from their failures.
“Chalk it up to the first couple days of OTAs and be like, hey, we like this, we don’t like this,” Allen said. “And, again, just continue to work on it and find ways that we can learn how to complement each other and just build that chemistry and camaraderie.”
Joe Brady Talks About Josh Allen-DJ Moore Connection
New Bills head coach Joe Brady said the team’s OTAs are an important time for Allen and Moore to work together.
“I think a lot of times we take for granted, like we think guys can just come in here and pitch and catch,” Brady said, via Syracuse.com. “But there’s nuances to running routes, there’s nuances to how they speak to you. And so this is the time of year that we kind of do that.”
Brady, who was promoted from his role as offensive coordinator after the firing of Sean McDermott, added that Allen will try to press throws to Moore to see what the wide receiver can handle.
“I think there’s some components of him trying to get a feel of the timing of the routes, the speed in which (Moore) comes out of some of the breaks,” Brady said. “And the only way you can get that chemistry is by working at it at a full-speed level, not necessarily just routes on air.”
Bills QB Josh Allen Gets Honest About Connection With DJ Moore