CHICAGO -- Around the time that spring workouts were underway in Chicago, DJ Moore ignited a competition inside the Bears' wide receiver room.
After Chicago sent a fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for Keenan Allen, and then drafted Rome Odunze ninth overall, the makeup of the receiver position looked drastically different from a year prior, when Moore was traded to the Bears
Last season, it was Moore, and then everyone else. Moore notched a career-best 1,364 receiving yards and eight touchdowns as Chicago finished with a 7-10 record. No other Bears receiver had more than 414 yards and one TD.
Moore was intrigued by the influx of talent around him this year and the motivation it provided. He proclaimed the "race to 1,000" yards was on and received eager buy-in from the rest of his position group.
Five games in, Moore holds a steady lead in that race boosted by the five passes he caught for 105 yards and two touchdowns in a 36-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 5. That increased his season totals to 294 yards receiving (10.9 yards/reception), 58.8 receiving yards/game and three touchdowns. Moore ranks top 10 among all receivers in targets (42), red zone targets (7) and touchdowns. He ranks 12th with 27 receptions.
And he has a good chance to add to those numbers Sunday when the Bears face the Jacksonville Jaguars in England (9:30 a.m., ET, Fox). The Jaguars yield a league-high 287.8 passing yards per game.
At the start of training camp, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams pondered the amount of talent around him and whether the Bears offense needed one pass-catcher to stand out.
"I don't know if we need a No. 1 receiver," Williams said. "I think we got a couple No. 1s, and that's what makes it fun for us on the offensive side of the ball, because it makes it a hell of a lot [more] difficult for the defense on the other teams for the next 18 weeks."
What's clear now is Moore is Chicago's No. 1 receiver, at least for now.
According to Next Gen Stats, Moore had +15.1 receptions over expected in 2023, which was the second-most in the league.
While he may not receive the same attention or accolades as some of the league's most visible receivers, such as Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase, Moore's achievements have made him one of the league's top wideouts. That's why the Bears signed him to a four-year, $110 million extension in July, with $82.6 million guaranteed (the fourth-highest among wide receivers).
The connection between Williams and his top receiver took longer to display than the two expected. After weeks dedicated to working out the kinks of their on-field chemistry, Moore's third touchdown catch of the season -- a 30-yard reception that helped Chicago build a 20-point lead on the Panthers at halftime -- felt like a breakthrough.
"It was just a dot, we worked that in practice," Moore said. "When he threw it, I was like, man, it's a touchdown because I knew I crossed a corner face and there was nobody in the middle of the field. I was like it's my ball or nobody's, and 99% of the time, it's my ball."
Behind Moore, Odunze has been targeted 29 times and has 15 catches for 206 yards and a touchdown. A heel injury forced Allen to miss Chicago's losses at Houston and Indianapolis. In three games, the 32-year-old receiver has 10 catches for 81 yards. Allen's 20 targets are fourth on the team behind Moore, Odunze and tight end Cole Kmet (24).
It took the Bears five weeks to surpass 400 total yards of offense in a game, but despite a slow start for Chicago's passing attack, Moore's impact has been steady.
Williams has an 82.1 QBR when targeting Moore. By comparison, the quarterback has a 29.4 QBR when targeting Odunze.
The way Williams was able to distribute the ball, with Moore, Odunze and Allen each receiving at least four targets against Carolina, was a pivotal step for Williams' development.
"I would just say that the ability to get the ball to receivers in a more consistent way," coach Matt Eberflus said. "That was by design.
"We hadn't had a big game like that by the receivers yet. That was most exciting to me."
And what's also critical to Williams' development is the patience of a veteran receiver who has dealt with new offenses and new quarterbacks consistently. Williams is the 12th different starting quarterback Moore has caught passes from since he was drafted by the Panthers in the first round in 2018.
After missing what would have been a wide-open touchdown against the Rams at the end of the first half in Week 4, Moore and Williams connected for their first touchdown one quarter later.
"We were all rookies at one point," Moore said last week. "So I know what [Williams is] going through. You can't be too frustrated.
"I mean, you can be frustrated within the way you're playing as a player, but not at a young guy that's still coming along."