After the trade of Keenan Allen to the Chicago Bears, the franchise has a new receiver duo at its disposal. Will the current top receiver now have to take a back seat?

With free agency still in full swing, the rosters of NFL teams have changed quite a bit. This also applies to the Chicago Beers. The franchise has secured the services of top receiver Keenan Allen in a trade.

The six-time Pro Bowler comes from the Los Angeles Chargers for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft. “We are very excited to add Keenan to our team,” commented General Manager Ryan Poles on the move. The deal gives the Bears a significant boost to their receiver room.

At the same time, DJ Moore will have an additional competitor in Chicago. Last season, he was the clear number one receiver for Justin Fields, who is now under contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Moore was thrown to 136 times (for 1,364 yards). By comparison, Keenan Allen was targeted even more often in LA with 150 targets (for 1,242 yards).

So both players are used to being thrown at consistently. Is the Bears’ locker room now facing a new competition? Moore himself doesn’t want to know.

When asked about a possible split of targets between the two receivers, Moore said on “670 The Score’s Mully & Haugh Show”: “It doesn’t matter to me.” The 26-year-old continued, “I know we’ve both talked about how we’re going to complement each other. So I’m just looking forward to it.”

Nothing new for Allen. He spent years with the Chargers alongside Mike Williams, another of the league’s better receivers. The new season will show how the balls will be distributed in the new Bears offense.

Moore is even looking forward to Allen

Moore, meanwhile, has other priorities: “It could be a race to 1,000 yards, but it’s just a friendly competition. At the end of the day, if we win, I don’t really care who catches the ball.”

Moore even sees his own upside in Allen’s switch: “I thought, ‘Wow, now we have even more weapons for the run we want to make in 2024, winning games.'” Moore continued, “His play has spoken for everything. He’s a skillful route runner. He sets people up and makes them look stupid out there. I’m looking forward to learning from him.”

So the Bears will be a changed team going forward. In addition to Allen and Moore, the roster features Cole Kmet, a tight end with catching ability. Only one thing is missing: a new quarterback. The franchise will probably get one in the upcoming draft