It’s no secret that the Dallas Cowboys need help at the wide receiver position. If the season started today, Jalen Tolbert and Jonathan Mingo would be the No. 2 and No. 3 receivers next to CeeDee Lamb. You can make a case that the duo is the worst No. 2 and No. 3 pairing in the league, and the Cowboys aren’t blind to the problem.
The hope was that Tetairoa McMillan, the star receiver from Arizona, would fall to them at No. 12 during the 2025 NFL Draft. That obviously didn’t happen as the Panthers stole McMillan with the No. 8 pick and that forced the Cowboys to go in a different direction. There was even some talk that Dallas was going to select Luther Burden III at No. 44, but the Bears snagged him just a few picks prior to the Cowboys going on the clock.
The Cowboys know they have an issue at wide receiver, and they appear ready to turn over every stone to find a suitable No. 2 receiver. We’ve heard Dallas linked to names like George Pickens and Amari Cooper, but neither option is appealing.
However, there is another former first-round pick who would be the perfect trade target for Dallas: Chicago Bears standout D.J. Moore.
D.J. Moore is the perfect WR target for the Dallas Cowboys
The Bears have drafted three offensive weapons inside the top-50 over the last two drafts, including two inside the top-10 (Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland). Both players figure to have a big role during the 2025 season, and the expectation is that Burden will be the full-time slot receiver with Odunze on the outside. The Bears also signed a few veteran receivers this offseason, including Devin Duvernay and Olamide Zaccheaus.
That means Moore could be an interesting trade target as he might not be a perfect fit in Ben Johnson’s offense. He turned 28 this offseason and wasn’t quite the player they were expecting when they acquired him via trade during the 2023 offseason.
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Moore is overmatched as a No. 1 receiver, especially if he has to play a majority of his snaps on the outside. But he can be a high-end No. 2 receiver when given the ability to move around the formation. And that’s exactly what Dallas is looking for in a complement to Lamb. A player who can be used in multiple ways and has the size and ability to be dynamic after the catch.
Moore had a down season in 2024, averaging just 9.9 yards per reception on 140 targets. But he has been a pretty consistent playmaker in his career, totaling at least 950 yards from scrimmage in all seven of his NFL seasons. He’s eclipsed 1,200 total yards four different times, and his best season came in 2023, racking up 1,385 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns.
As he enters this next stage of his career, being a true No. 2 receiver will help him stay productive. Moore is currently the 11th highest-paid receiver in the NFL, but there is no guaranteed money beyond the 2026 season and with the cap going up, $23.4 million in base salary for each of the next four years is a pretty reasonable deal given his age and production.
It would likely cost Dallas a Day 2 pick during the 2026 NFL Draft, but that is a very reasonable price for a quality player who is only 28. It’s hard to envision the Cowboys having much success on offense this year without a secondary option in the passing game, so this is a move they should consider sooner rather than later if Moore is even slightly available via trade.