Tiering realistic free agent wide receiver options for the Bears to fill the obvious offensive need after trading away DJ Moore
The Chicago Bears could be in the market for a wide receiver addition after trading DJ Moore.
The Chicago Bears made a major decision on Thursday when the team traded veteran wide receiver DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills, for an absolute steal in return.
As tough of a decision as it was, the rewards far outweigh the loss when it comes to the trade value and getting off Moore’s massive contract. But, it does open up a need at the wide receiver position for the Bears, unless the team is fully willing to let all of the young players step up.
The ideal solution would be signing a realistic free agent that can give the offense some serious speed out of the slot with Luther Burden III taking over Moore’s role and Rome Odunze staying at the “X” position while continuing to develop Jahdae Walker. So, here’s a tier ranking of free agent options the Bears can consider when it comes to adding a burner in the slot.
Free agent WR options for the Chicago Bears
Tier 1: High-priced, multi-year options
- Tyreek Hill (projected $15 million per year)
- Rashid Shaheed (projected $14 million per year)
- Jalen Nailor (projected $12 million per year)
Tyreek Hill is a non-option in my mind but still one worth mentioning. Medicals will be a big deciding factor in his free agent market and who knows if he’ll even be the same kind of dominating player we all remember after such a significant injury. Teams will still be interested in bringing him in to see how the medicals look, but all signs point toward a reunion with the Kansas City Chiefs if anything.
Rashid Shaheed is a fascinating player set to hit the market. He has true game-changing speed both at wide receiver and as a returner. He’ll have a strong market coming off a Super Bowl win with the Seattle Seahawks after joining the team mid-season.
Jalen Nailor is expected to get a lot more money than people expected after being the WR3 behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. He only had 444 yards and four touchdowns in 2025 but there’s going to be a team willing to give him a multi-year deal to be a true WR2 for an offense. I strongly doubt the Bears are the team interested in doing that.
Tier 2: Mid-priced veterans
- Marquise Brown (projected $6 million per year)
- Christian Kirk (projected $6 million per year)
- Tutu Atwell (projected $3 million per year)
Marquise Brown is a player I wanted the Bears to go after last offseason before drafting Luther Burden III and signing Olamide Zaccheaus. Instead, Hollywood Brown opted to say with the Chiefs on a $7 million deal and had a solid season totaling 587 yards and five touchdowns in 16 games.
Christian Kirk is coming off a down year after being traded to the Houston Texans and being phased out by the team’s younger pass catchers. But, this is still a guy that eclipsed 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns back in 2022. He can be a reliable weapon for one season that can make big plays.
Tutu Atwell is in a rare spot. He was a second-round pick back in 2021 and spent his entire career playing with the Los Angeles Rams, but clearly wasn’t the best fit in Sean McVay’s offense. He put together two solid seasons in 2023-24 and then wasn’t used at all in 2025. He’s capable of making some splash plays with his speed but offers little value as a run blocker and on special teams.
Tier 3: Low-cost options with offensive familiarity
- Olamide Zaccheaus (projected $1.5 million per year)
- Greg Dortch (projected $1.5 million per year)
- Kalif Raymond (projected $2 million per year)
This is the tier I see the Bears dipping into next week. Olamide Zaccheaus is the real name to watch after playing with the Bears last season. Ben Johnson had strong feelings about Zaccheaus and moving Burden into the “Z” role opens the slot position back up for OZ. While drops were glaring at times, it wasn’t as egregious as people were led to believe and he had a really strong connection with Caleb Williams going into the season. I wouldn’t rule this out.
Greg Dortch has always been a player I’ve appreciated from afar when he’s gotten opportunities with the Arizona Cardinals, and it’s worth noting Ben Johnson is super close with former Cardinals’ offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. All this guy needs is a real opportunity to show what he can do with a full-time role in the slot. He has elite acceleration and can be a real threat after the catch while adding value as a punt returner.
Kalif Raymond is another player with familiarity in Ben Johnson’s offense. He played five seasons in Detroit and was a big culture guy for that locker room. He was a slot gadget guy in the Lions’ offense while adding some return upside (three career punt return touchdowns).
Chicago Bears News
Full trade compensation for DJ Moore shows that Ryan Poles got a massive win by parting ways with the veteran wide receiver
It was a tough decision, but the rewards far outweigh the loss in this trade.
