No longer a novelty, Bears using DJ Moore at running back is part of their offense

The Bears’ use of wide receiver DJ Moore at running back no longer is an experiment or a novelty. Nobody, including the Raiders on Sunday, will be surprised to see him in the backfield.

It’s now a regular part of the offense. Moore isn’t dabbling anymore; he’s playing two positions.

Moore called it simply part of his “daily routine” and said he’s happy to do what’s needed.

“I’m cool with it,” he said. “It gets everybody on the field and keeps the defense off balance.”

The role is partly because Moore is a savvy and talented runner, but also because coach Ben Johnson simply doesn’t have what he needs at the position. So in addition to being the Bears’ most accomplished receiver, he also has six carries for 15 yards.

Coming from the Lions, Johnson had Jahmyr Gibbs and former David Montgomery, nicknamed Sonic and Knuckles, respectively. The Bears have a speedy, shifty runner in lead back D’Andre Swift (5-foot-8, 204 pounds), but there’s no bruiser to complement him.

The Bears hoped Roschon Johnson (6-foot, 227 pounds) could bring that to the table, but he has yet to play a snap on offense, let alone get the ball. Rookie Kyle Monangai, a seventh-round pick, is roughly the same size as Swift and has 13 rushes for 44 yards.

At 6-foot, 213 pounds, and with no reservations about taking contact head on, Moore has the body and skill for the job.

“I don’t think he would say, ‘Hey, I’m this physical, powerful, downhill, in-the-box runner,’ but he certainly can be when he needs to be,” offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said. “We love that element of his game.”

Having Moore in the backfield also sets the table for deception as part of Johnson’s mantra to make “the same things to look different, and different things to look the same.” Motioning Moore from running back to receiver is a given, but having him back there as an extra blocker is misdirection as well. He also has thrown two career passes.

“You don’t really know what we’re going to do when he’s back there,” Doyle said. “It’s not like he’s a one-trick pony. We feel really comfortable with him doing a number of those running back jobs.”

The downside is the Bears risk wearing down their highest-paid offensive player, and no position on offense takes hits like a running back. He’s on pace for 34 carries this season, compared to his previous career high of 14.

Moore said he had no concerns about his durability.