After a few “disappointing” years in New York, with a new franchise quarterback coming, the Jets parted ways with Elijah Moore. He was a second-round pick in the 2021 draft, and the team made big moves since, adding Garrett Wilson, and after trading Moore, they added Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The disappointment came to a head, and the Jets traded Moore and pick 74 (WR Cedric Tillman) for the Browns’ pick number 4 (Center Joe Tippman). Moore leaves a crowded room and goes to a team needing a WR2. The draft capital signals that Cleveland has Moore in their long-term plans, and he’s under contract cheap for two more seasons.
Moore’s Career
| Game | Game | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rush | Rush | Rush | Rush | Rush | Rush | Rush | Rush | Tota | Tota | Tota | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | No. | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | 1D | Lng | R/G | Y/G | Ctch% | Y/Tgt | Att | Yds | TD | 1D | Lng | Y/A | Y/G | A/G | Touch | Y/Tch | YScm | RRTD | Fmb | AV |
| 2021 | 21 | NYJ | 8 | 11 | 6 | 77 | 43 | 538 | 12.5 | 5 | 24 | 62 | 3.9 | 48.9 | 55.8% | 7.0 | 5 | 54 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 10.8 | 4.9 | 0.5 | 48 | 12.3 | 592 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| 2022 | 22 | NYJ | 8 | 16 | 9 | 65 | 37 | 446 | 12.1 | 1 | 22 | 42 | 2.3 | 27.9 | 56.9% | 6.9 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 42 | 10.7 | 451 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Care | Care | 27 | 15 | 142 | 80 | 984 | 12.3 | 6 | 46 | 62 | 3.0 | 36.4 | 56.3% | 6.9 | 10 | 59 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 5.9 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 90 | 11.6 | 1043 | 7 | 1 | 7 |
It’s been an okay first few seasons for Moore, but I believe everyone expected him to be more of a target hog after his college career. The Jets haven’t had the greatest quarterback situation, so maybe reading into these past two seasons isn’t as critical as we would think.
As a rookie, Moore had 77 targets which he converted into 43 grabs for 538 yards and five TDs. He also had five carries and another score via rushing. Almost all of that was during a six-game stretch in the middle of the season, and he missed the teams’ last five games. There was optimism going into 2022.
Moore’s sophomore season was disappointing as he played in 16 games, starting nine contests, and only had 37 catches for 446 yards and one score on 65 targets. Garrett Wilson joining the team was a major culprit, and inconsistent quarterback play was a downer. Moore only eclipsed 50 yards receiving twice, and his season-high was only 64 yards on two receptions.
2023 Outlook
The trade to Cleveland unites Moore with another player that had a down 2022 season, new Browns franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson missed all of 2021 and only played in the last six games, so rust and playing in a new system, pedestrian stats are understandable.
Moore is listed as the starting slot receiver and should be Watson’s top target. Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones will see a bevy of those targets, and David Njoku also lurks as an option in the short and mid-range area. Watson didn’t favor any of those three in his six starts. Cooper had 34 targets, Peoples-Jones 31, and Njoku had 28. And Watson wasn’t entirely unleashed, only throwing more than 31 passes once, and the Browns relied more on the running game.
We should see an uptick in the passing volume, and the Browns will need to if they want to stay in games. Moore will lead the team in targets if he fits in, and the Browns let him play as he can. Watson hasn’t supported multiple receivers well and leaned heavily on DeAndre Hopkins and then Brandin Cooks in Houston. But he didn’t have other quality options in each season.
All I am saying, there is a chance that Moore gets 100 targets, and we would love to see him over 125 for fantasy. If he gets those, Moore will at least be a WR2/3 for fantasy.
The Depth Chart
Kind of unfortunately for Moore, if he falters, the Browns have options, and they will move on if Moore underwhelms. David Bell was taken in the third round of the 2022 draft and is also an enticing option in the slot. I don’t think he is as dynamic as Moore, but he’s a reliable receiving option.
They drafted Cedric Tillman in the third this year, and he’s a bigger receiver but could fill in the slot role if needed. He’s not as dynamic either, but he’s a strong and physical possession receiver, and we see all sorts of receiver types in the slot nowadays. Marquise Goodwin is a field stretcher and could man the slot and be explosive. They could even move Peoples-Jones inside.
The margin for error is not expansive, but the Browns did try to acquire after the 2021 season, and I think Moore gets plenty of chances to succeed before they cut bait.
Moore’s Value
Man, the community is really down on Moore, and I get it to an extent. We, all too often, declare players dead after a few seasons. In reality, it takes some of these guys some time to make their mark. It used to be that receivers didn’t hit until year three. Moore just turned 23 and was on a team with Zach Wilson as a quarterback for much of his first two seasons.
Check out these trades I found on the Dynasty GM Trade Browser:
I like this trade if I am getting Moore; seems like a few just depth pieces for a potential WR3 – good value on this one.
If I can get LaPorta for Moore, that’s a good trade and one of the deals where I think both teams will win.
Are two pieces worth little for a potential 125+ target WR? I will take that every day of the week and three times on Sunday.
I wish I was in this league! That’s like trading a dollar bill for a five-dollar bill.
And to close, I love both of these trades for each side. I would guess the Moore owner needed a solid RB2/3, so why not?
Conclusion
It just feels like maybe we are too down on Moore, and if I can trade a 2025 second-round pick, it’s well worth taking a shot. He may never be the sexy receiver that wins your league. It’s more likely that he’s a player you can count on week in and week out for points, and he won’t sink you with a dreaded two points every third week. Moore feels like, if he works out, he could have a Jarvis Landry upside – always near 90 catches, 1,000 yards, and 6-8 TDs.
A lot of fantasy players didn’t love Landry, but I loved the consistency in my WR3 spot. And I believe Moore is more dynamic.
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2 Responses
Shouldn’t you consider the trade capital instead of draft capital since he isn’t on the team that drafted him anymore?
That would mean he is only worth a 1 round round trade up from 3rd to 2nd, and not a 2nd round pick to Cleveland.
I still think it’s notable, not as much because it is only one round – but Cleveland could have easily just gave up a sixth to get him if they didn’t want to invest anything. It may not be a huge investment, but noteworthy.