The Carolina Panthers are the team that brought D.J. Moore into the NFL.
Two stops later, Moore is hoping to chase a Super Bowl as the newest standout player for the Buffalo Bills.
Moore made his Bills debut on Sunday as part of an impressive 36-31 win over the Houston Texans. He had moved to Buffalo in the offseason as part of a trade from the Chicago Bears that sent a second-round pick back to Chicago.
Of course, Moore had famously moved from the Panthers to the Bears as part of the trade that got Carolina the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, which turned into Bryce Young.
It was a calculated risk at the time for the Panthers, and it certainly hasn’t aged perfectly, but it’s old news at this point.
Regardless, Moore is now a member of the Bills, and he shone brightly in his Buffalo debut on Sunday.
D.J. Moore’s Bills Debut
Moore was the most-targeted receiver for Josh Allen on Sunday, with eight passes going his way.
He caught five of them for 100 yards and a touchdown, including a 43-yard reception.
Allen trusted Moore in big spots, including the 43-yard TD late in the first half to take a 24-14 lead.
“This is a preview,” Moore told reporters after the game, via The Athletic. “It can only get better from here.”
Moore was brought to Buffalo to solve a position group that hasn’t been good for them since Stefon Diggs’ departure. They haven’t had a true WR1.
At least in the opener, it looked like Moore could finally give the superstar Allen a true No. 1 wide receiver.
“The best is yet to come,” Moore said after the game. “We didn’t play a clean game. Once we do, we’ll be on full display of who we truly are.”
D.J. Moore With Panthers
Denniston Moore Jr. was drafted by the Panthers with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Maryland.
Pretty much right from the start, Moore was as advertised.
As a rookie, he caught 55 passes for 788 yards to prove he belonged in the NFL. He then rattled off three seasons in a row of more than 1,000 yards.
In 2019, Moore went for 87 grabs, 1,175 yards and four scores.
Then in 2020, he had 66 catches for 1,193 yards and four more TDs.
It was 93 catches for 1,157 yards and four touchdowns in 2021.
And in 2022, his final Panthers season, Moore had 63 catches for 888 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Panthers were in a transition point after that year, knowing they needed to find their quarterback of the future. Yes, they traded away a potential target for said QB, but they also wouldn’t have been able to move up and take Young without including Moore in that deal to Chicago.
It’s still playing itself out based on the player Young fully grows into, but in the mean time, Moore has been traded again and now looks right at home with the third team he has been a part of in the NFL.
Ex-Panthers WR Gets 100 Yards, TD in 1st Game With New Team