Acquired by the Bears in a monster trade with the Panthers last March, receiver DJ Moore surpassed sky-high expectations in his first season in Chicago.

The sixth-year pro established career highs in all receiving categories with 96 catches, 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns. His 1,364 yards were the sixth most in the NFL this season and the fourth most in Bears history.

Due to the impact he made in 2023, Moore has been named the Bears' Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year by ChicagoBears.com.

"He's just a great player and playmaker," said quarterback Justin Fields. "Any time you can get the ball in his hands, you're most likely going to get an explosive play. He's hard to tackle. He's like a running back once he gets the ball in his hands."

The Bears acquired Moore from the Panthers along with four draft picks in exchange for the No. 1 selection in the draft that Carolina spent on quarterback Bryce Young.

The Bears knew exactly what type of player they were getting in Moore, who caught 364 passes for 5,201 yards and 21 touchdowns in five seasons with the Panthers. The 24th pick in the 2018 draft out of Maryland, Moore topped 1,100 yards in three straight seasons with 1,175 in 2019, 1,193 in 2020 and 1,157 in 2021.

Shortly after the trade was made, Bears general manager Ryan Poles described Moore as "a receiver that can create separation and make big plays," adding that he was "over the moon" about acquiring a player "who can help us right now get better." Poles also told reporters that Moore is "a really good person" who "fits our culture and what we're trying to do and keep that room and our team and our locker room in a really good place."

On Moore's first night in Chicago following the trade, Fields dined with the receiver and his family. The two later attended a Chicago Bulls game together with other teammates and were among a group of Bears players who worked out together in Florida before training camp.

"Everybody knows he's a great player," Fields said. "But great player and even better person, even better teammate. He came in, was kind of quiet a little bit. But he's always been the same. The more you get to know him, the more you talk to him, he just opens up more and really just becomes an open book. I love him as a teammate, love him as a person. He's just great to have on the team."

The cohesiveness between Fields and Moore was particularly evident Oct. 5 in a 40-20 Thursday night over the Commanders. Moore set career highs with 230 yards and three touchdowns on eight receptions from Fields, who threw for 282 yards and four TDs in the game. The 230 receiving yards were the second most in Bears history, trailing only Alshon Jeffery's 249 yards Dec. 1, 2013, in an overtime loss to the Vikings in Minnesota. They were also the most by an NFL receiver since the Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase compiled 266 yards Jan. 2, 2022.

"He's an all-around just great dude and great teammate," tight end Cole Kmet said of Moore. "I think what sticks out to me is just how unselfish he is on the field as well. I know everyone sees the catches and the yards-after-catch that he makes, but whenever you see yourself, and I get the ball, and whether it's in the flat or downfield, and you look up and he's blocking his guy already, those are the things that stick out to me.

"Quite frankly, as a guy who is part of the line at times in pass pro, and you know if we've got a play dialed up for DJ, you're going to be blocking extra hard here to make sure he gets that rock. Just a special all-around dude, and obviously way more than he was even advertised coming in."