Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - James 'Big Cat' Williams reacts to Bears' trade of DJ Moore to Bills

Episode Date: March 5, 2026

Leila Rahimi and Mark Grote were joined by former Bears offensive lineman James “Big Cat” Williams to react to Chicago agreeing to trade receiver DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills.

He's such a smart and versatile player. I think that's something that gets overlooked at times. He's a guy that we felt strongly in terms of he could play any position. We could put him in any spot in terms of the route tree that we could ask him to do. And so it's really invaluable when you look at it. He's such a good player. He has been his entire career. I still remember him evaluating his tape coming out of Maryland.

That was an easy one. you know, you knew he was going to be a heck of a pro, and that's what he's been. What I didn't know was just what a great teammate he would be. And he legitimately wants the guys around him to do well. He wants to win, and he loves the city of Chicago. That is Ben Johnson talking to Fox 32 about DJ Moore and what he brought to the team. This is Rahimi Harrison Grotie on 1043, the score with the breaking news that happened about 20 minutes ago that DJ Moore is reportedly being traded to the Buffalo Bills that per

Adam Schaefter. And now we go to our hotline. That is where we find our friend, former Bears defensive and offensive lineman James Big Cat Williams, who joins us. James, we thought we were going to talk to you about the Drew Dalman News. We'll do that too, but lo and behold, we have some breaking news. What are your thoughts about this happening? How are you guys? We're gathering ourselves. Yeah, that's right. We knew something could happen, but it still hit you in a certain way, right? Big Cat.

Yeah, it does. I mean, you think about DJ and you think about a guy that when they brought him in, he was immediately an impact player. He was immediately someone in that locker room that the younger players were able to look up to and go to for advice. and, you know, different things like that. So, you know, knowing that he's leaving now, knowing that he's going to be traded,

it's going to clear up some cap room for the bears, for them to do other things, whether it be at the center position, whether it be at the tackle position, the defensive line position, you know, it's, and I think it's also a good situation for him, going to Buffalo, you know,

it's not like they're sitting in the Cleveland or Las Vegas. or somewhere like that where he's got to start all over again with who knows who quarterback. You know, he's going somewhere where they have a viable quarterback that has a lot of time under his belt, a lot of experience, and I think he'll fit in well there. This is the kind of heartlessness, the business part of the NFL that James Big Cat Williams.

I know that you knew well from your time playing with the Bears and being in the NFL and being one that covers the league as well. Is that what this is, just kind of the harsh realities of the NFL? That you have a guy like DJ Moore, as I was saying earlier. Like, he goes down as one of the best receivers the Bears have ever had in this franchise, which tells you more about the relativity of the receivers than anything else. But it's just, it's tough to take, I think, for fans and anybody in the NFL when these things happen. Yeah, well, you know, if you've ever been in an NFL locker room or, you know, on a team,

you understand that, you know, this is part of the game, that, you know, nothing is guaranteed, whether, you know, no matter how long you've been tendered at a place, nothing's guaranteed. You can, you know, they can make decisions, and you have to live with those decisions, and, you know, you have to move on with your life. So I'm sure DJ is going to do that. This is not the first time that DJ has had to go someplace different. So, you know, he knows the routine. He knows what he's going to have to go through.

He knows what he has to do once he gets to Buffalo as far as getting himself situated. So, yeah, from the outside looking in, it seems like a rough deal. But, you know, like you said earlier, it is something that you deal with being an NFL player. Well, and I think, James, it also is something you deal with when you know you get the contract you dream of, right? You get the third contract, the extension that really solidifies you in the prime of your career, like the case for him. But then that also means a target might be on your back if something changes. And he was the highest paid player in the team, as we know.

And I feel like, unfortunately, with the Bears needing to clear cap space, and now the news with Drew Dalman, I wonder if that also factored in. You get a bit of a target when it also comes to having that designation. Yeah, and you also have to realize that when, you know, Coach Johnson comes in and they bring in a bunch of some young wide receivers that are high on his list that are, you know, in his eyes, exactly what he's looking for. You know, we don't know what he thought about DJ when he came in. I mean, you know, coaches are going to say, you know, I love having this guy here.

He's a big part of our locker room. You know, he's a big part of our team. But, you know, being there knowing a head coach and knowing that they want their people, They want the people that they could put in places that they have designated for them. So, you know, like we said, it's part of the game and it's something that you have to deal with. And, you know, it's going to go on forever. I mean, this is not the last person that we're going to probably have to deal with or talk about this offseason as far as either being traded or having to be restructure something. So, you know, a lot of things are going to go on in the next couple months.

News breaking here on Rahimi Harris and Grotie as we talk to the former Bears offensive lineman James Big Cat Williams per ESPN sources. The Bears are working to finalize a trade that would send wide receiver DJ more to the Buffalo Bills. Compensation is still being discussed and the trade cannot be processed until the new league year begins, which is soon. But both sides are pushing to make this happen. It looks like it could be a mid-round, maybe a third. or a fourth round pick will wait and give you the details right here on the score. But James, there's also the part two where I think Layla and I are an agreement that if DJ Moore was still with the Bears going in the next year, he's still their best wide receiver.

However, however, you do have some developing talent that makes this a little bit more digestible with Luther Burden being there. Colston Loveland was their leading receiver last year. Roma Dunesi did not have a great year, but we know he's got all the talent in the world. Are the Bears going to be okay in terms of their receivers this year even without DJ Moore? Yeah, I think they will. I mean, you go back to last year and you think about all the conversation being all the riches that they had. You know, you only have one ball. How do you distribute this ball to all these players that you just named Rome, Burden,

Lovlin, Komet, Swift, you know, you have all these guys that you're trying to get the ball to. And now you have a situation where, you know, the younger guys have to step up. You know, with DJ being, with DJ moving on, now these younger players have to step up. They've got to show their worth. You know, who is now your number one receiver? Who's your number two receiver? Who's your slot guy? you know, these are more questions that they're going to have to answer,

but it gives the young guys an opportunity to, you know, show their work. And that's what they're going to have to do in probably a little more of the near future than they stop. James Big Cat Williams joining us on the score, former Bears offensive linemen, former defensive lineman as well. And James, one of the things that I think you brought up that also stands to be discussed in a business way is, When a new head coach gets to a team, sometimes there's not always the automatic fit that you would think there would be, or when a quarterback changes a year receiver, the personnel changes. Do you think that this might have also fallen under that because there was just one year spent with Ben Johnson? It could be. It could be. Like we said, you know, Ben comes into a new situation, a new team.

He's the head coach. He has his first draft. He goes out there and he gets a. players that he feels as though will fit in his system, as well as with the players that they imagine that they would keep during the season. And you know, you never

know how a guy fits in until you actually have an opportunity to work with him. Yes, DJ Moore has a great background. Yes, he came from Carolina and, you know, he did all these good things with not so good quarterbacks. Now you have a young quarterback

that you feel as though he can help to progress. You know, he can help Caleb get better. He can help him as far as seeing different things in the secondary when they're running routes, their communication, their ability to work together. Now you have to hope that he was able to pass all that stuff on to Caleb, and Caleb is able to work with your Luther Burden, with your Roma Doomsday, with Loveland,

commit and get these things done with those guys and you know kind of a tutoring teaching session that Moore had is now over and now we're going to watch a bunch of young guys try and pull it all together and you know produce on the field in a way that Ben Johnson wants them to. It's just wild man like I'm thinking about and I understand like free agency and the draft haven't even occurred right now but in this moment for the Bears coming off an 11 win season and all the holes, significant holes that the Bears suddenly have with DJ Moore being traded to the Buffalo Bills today. You have a big opening at left tackle with the injury to Ozzie Tripillo. And now Big Cat, which was the original reason that we had wanted to have you on.

We'll have you on for anything. But Drew Dalman, man. What did you think about that? Drew Dalman all of a sudden deciding to retire at the age of 27. You think about a guy that has only been with the Bears for a year, signed, I think it was a, what, three-year deal, and, you know, was a mainstay in the center of that offensive line, the leader of that offensive line, the guy that puts people where they're supposed to be, that makes the points, that is looking out for the blitz, that is shifting the line. blocking schemes, whether it be to the left or to the right, or whatever little nuances that needed to be done in that short period of time, that short window that a center has to make his calls, to hear what the snap count is, to snap the ball, to get everybody going in the

right direction. And now you're going to have to start all over again. You know, we saw how last season started as far as, you know, them being able to work together. Now we're going to have to see all over again whether they can get it done as far as those inside guys being able to work together. As far as a player being able to control the whole line and do it at, you know, at the highest level. You think about Tune, Jackson, you know, now they're going to have to work with a new center.

So, you know, we always talk about the ability for an offensive line to work together for a period of time. Now you're starting all over again. The main play caller or the guy who gets everybody situated has now changed. So now all these guys are going to have to figure out how they work with this new center and how good he is, whoever they choose to bring in, at doing his job, making the points, making the shifts, sliding guys in the right direction, seeing what's going on with the defense. So, you know, it's almost like starting all over again.

But the good thing is, you know, you have Tuny, you have Jackson, you have rights. You still have to figure out the left tackle position, but you have a good base if you bring a good center in. We're talking to James Big Cat Williams here on 104 through the score. Brahimi Harrison Grotie with you today. And James, one of the things I've been asking just the offensive lineman that we've talked to about this is your perspective. As we try to figure out why, we may not ever get that answer. And that's understood.

But we can understand what goes into it. Joe Thomas yesterday, the Hall of Famer said part of it could also be simply that. Offensive linemen get paid a lot more than they used to. And I'm sorry to have to bring that up because I feel like you would have been one of the offensive lineman who had gotten paid a lot more if you played now, but that you can make 10 years worth of salary now when he was playing or when you were playing in five years time like, like Drew Dalman had under his career here in the NFL. And maybe sometimes you just feel like you've made enough money to step away. You know, what do you think about the salary aspect of this?

Well, I mean, you know, it's funny because when I played, you know, it was the guys who played before me that we're always like, man, if we'd have made the money that you guys make now, you know, and it just continues to go on. But, you know, you're able now to make generational wealth. You're able to make enough money now playing a game that can set your family for life. So, you know, understanding that, you know, he also had a father who played in it, NFL who got injured and had to deal with all those things. You know, he knows that whole story. He knows the backstory.

He knows the in and out of what goes on in the NFL, whether it be while you're playing or when you're done playing. So, you know, for him to make that decision, it's, you know, it's not a decision that I could have made, you know, at 27 years old. and having the opportunity to still play, you know, what else was I going to do? You know, it was either play football or work construction. So, you know, I'm playing football. And nothing about that.

It's funny because even, you know, now, nothing about that for me changes. I still feel as though that, you know, in my mind, I'd have played until I could not play anymore. You, not that there's a knock on construction, because there's a lot of good money to be had in construction. But I think you're also a very good coach. So I feel like we could have come up with other job opportunities for you, just saying. Yeah, but where could you do what we were able to do on the field out in real life, you know, without being arrested? Without somebody putting cuss on you and bringing me over the hood of their car. So it was the mentality we had.

It was the mentality that we rolled with. You know, it was in our everyday lives. And I couldn't say even knowing now what I know that I've done it any differently. Yeah, yeah, no doubt. And good for you. Good for you. I appreciate success stories like James Big Cat Williams. We're talking to him right now.

If you haven't heard the breaking news, yes, DJ Moore traded or there is a trade in place. to move him to the Buffalo Bills. It has not been made official yet, but it certainly looks like it is heading in that exact direction. It appears to be a $16.5 million cap savings, which is huge because then it makes you start to think about the next move or what it means for the Bears, Big Cat, and one of the names that is out there,

and I know you've been hearing about it, and that is Max Crosby, of all the stuff that has to be fixed on the offensive line. that name is not going to go away until he locks in someplace. What do you think about Max Crosby and are the bears better off putting their resources, the big piles of money into the offensive line holes, or somebody who is a game changer like Max Crosby? You know, personally, you already know what direction I'm going.

I think you need to fix what's broke on the offensive line. You need to replace what is now missing. Max Crosby is, you know, I say that's in the most respectful way, you're the freak. You know, he's a guy that goes out there and he gives you play after play, after play of 100 miles an hour or 110 miles an hour. You look at his body lead. You look at the body of work that he has put together. And, you know, it would be a nice, it would be something. nice to have on the other end of sweat as far as that D-line goes.

But like I said, you're going to fix that off. You want Tyler Linderbaum. That's where you want the money to go. That's what you're thinking about. Just say it. I actually thought about it. I would love to see them bring in a player like that, but a guy like Linderbom is going to be expensive.

Yeah. You're not the only team that needs a pro-bowl all-pro type center. and at the age that he's at. So, you know, the bidding war for a guy like that is, I mean, it's going to get up there. It's going to get up there. Well, and that's the part of this that becomes really tricky, is trying to figure out what is the next priority. And I feel like the bears were rich at wide receiver.

They had a lot of solid and quality depth at that position. And this solidifies that perhaps they knew they had to make a change on their roster in order to balance another need.