After last season ended, the Chicago Bears knew they were taking a quarterback at #1 overall. That much is obvious now. GM Ryan Poles had to figure out how to arrange the offense in such a way that would give the young quarterback a chance to succeed immediately. That meant surrounding him with a capable coaching staff and enough weapons. Shane Waldron arrived with his revamped staff to run the offense. The only part left was stacking the arsenal with weapons. So he traded for six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen from Los Angeles, pairing him with D.J. Moore.
Never mind the fact both players are excellent pass catchers, combining for over 2500 yards last season despite inconsistent quarterback play. What makes this new pairing so exciting is how they complement each other from a skill perspective. Film analyst Matt Harmon explained this on Reception Perception The Show. It comes down to a pick-your-poison situation. If you work to protect against Moore’s threat down the field, it opens up the short and intermediate areas for Allen to exploit. Conversely, squeezing down on Allen will give Moore opportunities to hit big plays.
This is before having to deal with Cole Kmet at tight end and their suddenly diverse and deep running back group.
Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore can extend each other’s careers.
This is more so in Allen’s case. He turns 32 this year. The days of him carrying an offense by himself are coming to an end. However, good receivers can stay good for a long time if they’re able to play with a great teammate. Jerry Rice benefitted from playing with Terrell Owens and Tim Brown during the later stages of his career. Cris Carter excelled into his mid-30s thanks to the arrival of Randy Moss. The same went for Isaac Bruce when he got paired with Tory Holt. Moore is 26 years old. He isn’t going anywhere. Allen has a chance to extend his already excellent career by a few more years if he looks to stay paired with him.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
That depends on how his contract situation plays out. Keenan Allen has one year left on his current deal. He would need to work out an extension with the Bears at some point. Both sides seem open to the idea, but it will come down to how much Allen wants and how much Chicago is willing to pay. If both sides can work something out, Caleb Williams or whoever else will have a formidable pair of targets for the next two or three seasons during the most critical stretch of development for a quarterback.
