DJ Moore addresses his body language in Bears’ loss

Aug 12, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) leaves the field at halftime at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore is doing some cleanup after his negative body language was caught on camera during the team’s loss Sunday to the Houston Texans.

Moore looked very frustrated throughout much of the Bears’ 19-13 loss in Houston, which many felt was a sign of frustration with quarterback Caleb Williams and the passing game. A sullen-looking Moore was captured on the bench several times, and he also sparked speculation by seemingly barking something in the direction of backup quarterback Tyson Bagent during the game.

D.J. Moore was not having it all last night. All moments I caught combined.pic.twitter.com/mcId7tBDtu

— ✶ Ⓜ️𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕤 ▶️ ✶ (@_MarcusD3_) September 16, 2024

Moore said Wednesday that he was frustrated, but not at Williams or anyone specific. He said he did some “self-evaluation” after seeing the video and regretted letting his frustrations show as much as they did.

“I shouldn’t have shown as much,” Moore said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “But it’s a part of the game. Like I said, we were one play away from the game changing. And we just couldn’t connect, nobody on offense could connect with the one play or get the one play started to get us on track and go up. It’s football. Everybody is going to have their ups and downs and frustrations.”

Moore added that his demeanor on the bench was not actually different from what it usually is.

“I usually sit on the bench like that anyway, so I don’t know what that’s about,” Moore said.

Chicago’s frustrating night on offense opened the door to this kind of speculation. Fairly or not, some also fixated on Moore because he initially called for the Bears to keep Justin Fields as their quarterback and do something else with the No. 1 pick. That generated a narrative that Moore did not want Williams to begin with, though the wide receiver seemed to come around during the offseason.

Moore caught six passes for 53 yards in the defeat and was targeted 10 times. His numbers were hurt by the fact that the Bears really struggled to protect Williams during the game, which prevented the rookie quarterback from making the most of his weapons.