Josh Allen and DJ Moore Are Already Clicking at Bills Camp Buffalo Might Have Solved Its Receiver Problem
Josh Allen finally has a real wide receiver. Two days into training camp, it already looks like something.
DJ Moore signed with the Buffalo Bills this offseason after his exit from the Bears. His arrival was supposed to solve a lingering problem for Buffalo. The Bills, for all their talent, have not had a true WR1 since Stefon Diggs was traded away two years ago. Khalil Shakir has been steady. Keon Coleman has flashed. But nobody has been the guy Allen can throw to on third-and-long and expect a first down.
Moore is supposed to be that guy. And through two days at St. John Fisher University, he has looked the part.
“I want to say we’re on the ups,” Moore told reporters after Day 2. “The first two days have been really good, so we’ve got to keep building on that, and go from there.” Allen has been effusive too, complimenting Moore’s “body control, the way that he moves with the ball in his hand. It’s a different element.”
Buffalo Bills beat writers have been documenting the connection. Moore has made multiple sliding receptions. Allen has hit him on long touchdowns during 7-on-7 drills. There have been a few misconnections early on, particularly on quick game concepts, but Allen said as soon as he stopped overthinking and started throwing to a spot, everything clicked. That is a great sign for a duo that had zero real reps together before camp.
The Bills need this to work. They need it desperately. Buffalo has been so close to a Super Bowl for so long, and every year the postseason exit comes down to the same problem. Not enough weapons. Kansas City makes plays late. Cincinnati makes plays late. Even when the Bills have the better team on paper, they lose games because their receiving corps cannot separate at the biggest moments.
Moore changes that. He is a legitimate WR1 who runs a full route tree and can win outside or in the slot. He can win at all three levels. He has done it in Chicago with quarterbacks who were nowhere near Allen’s level. Put him with a two-time MVP candidate and the ceiling goes way up.
The rest of the depth chart looks better with Moore involved. Shakir moves into a slot role where he thrives. Coleman gets to compete for the No. 3 job without the weight of being the guy. Dalton Kincaid can operate in the middle of the field without drawing double coverage every play. Everything opens up.
For head coach Sean McDermott, this is potentially the piece that has been missing. The Bills have won division title after division title, but the AFC gauntlet has been unforgiving. Adding Moore gives Allen the kind of weapon he has been asking for. That combination, with a healthy defense, could get Buffalo over the top.
Training camp is not games. Two days of practice does not mean much in the grand scheme. But you can see the chemistry starting to build. You can see Allen trusting Moore on tough throws. You can see Moore attacking the ball. Those things carry over.
The season starts in September. The Bills will find out then if this connection is the real deal. Early indications say it is.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
