The news isn’t too bad for D.J. Moore.
Moore was injured on Thursday Night Football playing for his newest team, the Buffalo Bills, after strong stints with both the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears.
Moore left the game in the first half and didn’t return, and some were fearing that he may have broken his collarbone.
Instead, it sounds like Moore won’t be out for too long — and will certainly benefit from a slightly extended break until Week 3 Sunday that comes after playing on a Thursday night in Week 2.
DJ Moore Injury Update
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Friday morning that Moore has an AC joint sprain, which is a shoulder injury.
#Bills WR DJ Moore, who was off to a fast start in Buffalo, is believed to have suffered an AC joint sprain, sources say. While it’s not a serious injury, @AdamSchefter reports his status is up in the air for next week. pic.twitter.com/TdE4jzWgG2
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 18, 2026
ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds that doctors “do not consider serious” his injury and that he’s “day to day.” Schefter also notes that “it’s not a lock” Moore plays in Week 3, but it hasn’t been ruled out.
Bills WR DJ Moore suffered a shoulder injury Thursday night that doctors do not consider serious and will leave him day to day, per source. “He has a chance to play next week (vs. the Chargers), but it’s not a lock, either,” said the source. pic.twitter.com/bmTkvScfNH
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 18, 2026
What Happened to DJ Moore?
Moore appeared to hit his upper body hard on the ground as he came down through contact attempting to catch a pass in the end zone from Josh Allen.
It was his left shoulder area that smashed into the ground particularly hard, and that potentially was turned in an awkward position, too. He held at that area as he laid on the ground.
The Bills ruled Moore out relatively quickly, terming it a shoulder injury.
Three years after the Panthers traded Moore to the Chicago Bears, it was the Bears who traded Moore to Buffalo this offseason.
He’s getting a chance to reprise the WR1 role he had with Carolina. Allen hadn’t had a true No. 1 WR in the last couple seasons, essentially since Stefon Diggs left the Bills.
Buffalo is hoping that Allen and Moore get to keep building their chemistry.
DJ Moore Injury History
Moore has dealt with a variety of injuries since entering the NFL with the Panthers.
His first ailment that forced him to miss a game was a concussion in 2019.
In 2020, he had a Grade 2 ankle sprain that kept him out of a game.
In 2021, Moore dealt with a tailbone bruise and a hamstring sprain, neither of which resulted in a missed game.
Moore strained his knee in 2022 and again didn’t miss a game.
He had a small ankle sprain in 2023, then a quad strain in 2024 and a groin pull in 2025. All of those injuries didn’t force Moore to miss subsequent action.
In essence, Moore hasn’t missed a full game due to injury since the 2020 season with Carolina.
DJ Moore Injury Update Brings News for Ex-Panthers WR