Bears' new offensive weapon reveals his jersey number
The number was taken, but one Bear was willing to switch numbers for his new teammate.
The Bears made headlines by trading the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Carolina Panthers.
The trade netted the Bears a surplus of draft picks and star receiver DJ Moore. Moore immediately gives the Bears a reliable receiver that the team was without in 2022.
With the Panthers, Moore initially wore No.12. After the NFL loosened the jersey number rules in 2021, Moore switched to No.2.
The Bears already had a No. 12 (Velus Jones) and a No. 2 (Cairo Santos) on the roster, so it seemed like Moore might be switching numbers again.
However, kicker Cairo Santos is now listed as wearing No.8. Santos has been with the Bears since the 2020 season, and has donned the No. 2 jersey since then. Luckily for Moore, it seems that the kicker had no problem giving up his number.
In these cases, it is not uncommon for the player giving up his number to be compensated for doing so. Maybe Santos was just trying to be a good teammate.
Bears fans are eager to see Moore in Chicago regardless of his number. The young receiver has eclipsed 750 receiving yards in each of his five seasons in the NFL, an impressive feat considering the quality of quarterbacks he's played with.
