At first, it wasn’t clear what exactly had happened to DJ Moore.
After Josh Allen tried to find him with a pass in the end zone on Thursday night for the Buffalo Bills, the long-time Carolina Panthers wide receiver stayed down.
Only on the replay was it clear that Moore had gotten himself injured.
And only when the crowd at the brand new Highmark Stadium went particularly quiet was it clear that Moore wasn’t getting up right away, either.
What Happened to DJ Moore?
Moore appeared to hit his upper body hard on the ground as he came down through contact on his catch attempt.
It was his left shoulder area that smashed into the ground particularly hard, and that potentially was turned in an awkward position, too.
Once on the ground, Moore clearly was holding at his shoulder area, as can be seen in the picture at the top of this article.
The worst fear for such a motion from Moore would be a broken collarbone, but it’s not clear yet what may have happened.
The Bills ruled Moore out relatively quickly, terming it a shoulder injury.
Buffalo went on to win the game, but it could end up feeling like a somewhat empty victory if Moore is forced to miss extended time.
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.
Moore and Allen had showed good early chemistry, but this could ruin all of that if the news is bad.
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.
His reliability was a key part of his acquisition by the Bills, but this is still football, and there’s no telling what can happen on any given play.
Buffalo’s fans will be hoping for the best, and former fans of Moore in Carolina and Chicago will be waiting to see what the full scoop is.
What Happened to DJ Moore? Ex-Panthers WR Injury Dampens Bills Excitement