Brady served as Moore’s offensive coordinator for one season, trading with the Carolina Panthers from 2020 until he was fired in December 2021. He was then working at wide receiver during his ascension. Five years later, with Moore entering his age-29 season and Brady serving as an NFL head coach for the first time, he sees little difference in the Vikings’ ability to do one thing.
“You try not to go into it and be like, ‘Hey, I remember what the player was and let’s just do it.’ That’s normal in football,” Brady said. “Five years is a long time. But the player I turned on the tape was no different in terms of how he moved, the skills, the opportunities, the big plays, using him in a lot of different ways. I saw it, and I did not see a boy who has fallen away. I saw a guy that’s a clear vision for how we’re going to use him in his hands and get him to use him in his hands. it’s been a lot of work this offseason to get them on the same page, but I’m really excited to see where it’s going to go.”
Whatever outside narratives remain about Moore losing a step or not, he fits right into the Bills’ plans. He’s a tight end who pairs perfectly with Khalil Shakir who mans the field and adds another red zone threat next to tight end Dalton Kincaid. He takes some pressure off Keon Coleman after pointing an awkward finger at who exactly wanted to draft the 2024 first baseman. Plus, Brady knows how to use it; Moore’s most productive campaign as a big-play threat, when he averaged a career-high 18.1 yards per reception, came under his new head coach.
For all of these reasons, Brady is fully buying into Moore as someone who can help propel Buffalo’s fourth-ranked offense to an even better place. That was evident when Buffalo sent a 2026 second-round pick to Chicago for Moore and a ’26 fifth-rounder, and made it clear again with Brady’s words on Saturday.
“I know the person, the player, the ability,” Brady said of Moore. “I know we had a really good offense last year. Adding DJ to that should just make Josh’s life a lot easier and make Khalil Shakir’s life a lot easier. He’s dynamic and he’s going to make our team a lot better.”
Much better is the goal at a club that has failed in seven rounds in a row and changed coaches because of it.