HEADLINES

Elijah Moore

Jets WR Elijah Moore Poised For Larger Role?

July 17th, 2022 at 2:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

Elijah Moore was a member of the 2021 draft’s deep and talented pool of receiver prospects. He represented not only a good scheme fit, but excellent value as well, when the Jets selected him in the second round. 

Playing a tangible role in the team’s offense as a rookie (seeing the field for nearly two-third’s of offensive snaps), the Ole Miss product flashed plenty of potential in his inaugural campaign. Coming on stronger as the year progressed, he totalled 538 yards and five touchdowns on 43 catches, scoring another major on the ground as well. A quad injury (separate from the one which cost him time during training camp) limited him to just 11 contests, however.

In 2022, the five-foot-10, 178-pounder is poised to take a significant step forward in production. Brian Costello of the New York Post goes as far as to say “the Jets should expect” Moore to emerge as a No. 1 wideout (subscription required). The 22-year-old already led the team in receiving yards last season in spite of the missed time, but he has plenty of room to grow in the team’s upgraded offense.

The Jets’ WR room has undergone some significant changes this offseason, including the departure of veteran Jamison Crowder. As a result, Costello notes that Moore could be in line for more time in the slot, where he played primarily in college (but sparingly last season). Regardless of where in lines up on the field, he will also face first-rounder Garrett Wilson as a competition for targets, along with fellow starter Corey Davis.

Assuming he is able to remain healthy throughout camp and the preseason, though, Moore should be able to develop further chemistry with fellow second-year player Zach Wilson. If that happens, significant improvement for both could be forthcoming this season, which would go a long way towards a more successful season in New York.

AFC East Notes: Poyer, Becton, Jets, Patriots

June 14th, 2022 at 10:03pm CST by Ben Levine

Jordan Poyer continues to pursue a new contract, but that won’t keep him away from mandatory minicamp. The Bills All-Pro safety is in attendance for practice this week, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

The impending free agent is seeking a new deal, and the Bills have been in communication with the player’s camp. According to ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg, Poyer’s participation may be limited in a pseudo-holdout move.

“I think Jordan is in a good place mentally,” said defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. “He’s still staying in touch with his teammates, and hopefully, we’ll see him soon.”

Poyer has been a consistent starter on the Bills defense since joining the organization in 2017, missing only a pair of games. After collecting 100+ tackles between 2018 and 2020, the safety earned his first career All-Pro nod in 2021 after finishing with 93 tackles, three sacks, and five interceptions. The veteran inked a two-year extension with the organization in 2020.

More out of the AFC East:

  • The Jets could turn to a committee approach as they look to replace Jamison Crowder‘s spot at slot receiver, writes ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Many assumed that Braxton Berrios would slide into the role, but head coach Robert Saleh admitted the team is “working through it” and prefers to slide players in and out of the spot to keep things unpredictable. Elijah Moore and rookie Garrett Wilson are among the receivers who could join Berrios in the slot rotation.
  • Jets defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd rejected a better offer to re-sign with the Jets on a one-year, $1.1MM deal, according to Cimini. Incredibly, the 2018 draft pick is the team’s longest-tenured player, and he’s earned a reputation as a hard worker and loyal player. As Cimini notes, Shepard is now the biggest player on the team with Folorunso Fatukasi gone, and that could mean the veteran will see a more significant role in run-stopping situations.
  • Jets offensive lineman Mekhi Becton made it to mandatory minicamp after having sat out previous voluntary sessions, tweets ESPN’s Rich Cimini. The lineman didn’t practice, presumably because he’s still rehabbing his surgically repaired knee. Meanwhile, SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano writes that the player’s ability to return to the field could ultimately influence the left tackle competition between Becton and George Fant. “The faster that you can stamp ‘Hey, this is what we feel like is going to be our best going into Week 1 vs. Baltimore,’ the faster we can do that the better,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said (via Vacchiano). “I think it will play itself out fairly quickly. When we get back (for training camp), we’re rolling, we’re running the football, and we’re going to see. It’ll all play itself out.”
  • At least one “prominent” member of the Patriots offense believed the coaching staff was unprepared at the start of the team’s offseason workout, according to Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus. Following Josh McDaniels move to Las Vegas, the Patriots haven’t replaced anyone as their offensive coordinator, with former ST coordinator Joe Judge and former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia apparently taking on larger roles on offense. However, it sounds like the coaches are settling into roles, with Kyed describing Judge as the “passing game coordinator” and Patricia as the “running game coordinator.” Naturally, head coach Bill Belichick recently swatted away any questions about the offensive play calling. “If you’re asking about game plans, we’re months away from that — months,” Belichick said. “Months away. Months. What plays are we calling? Mini-camp plays?”

AFC East Rumors: Bills, Jets, Douglas, Jackson

March 6th, 2022 at 5:33pm CST by Ely Allen

On Friday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul made comments that all but guaranteed that an agreement for a new stadium for the Bills will be made soon, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports.

Highmark Stadium (previously Rich Stadium, Ralph Wilson Stadium, and New Era Field) has been the home of the Bills since 1973. The Bills’ current lease on Highmark expires in 2023 and the franchise has been pushing with many government entities to build them a shiny, new stadium. The team has used the very real looming threat that there are plenty of other markets in the country that can support an NFL franchise.

Hochul commented on that threat saying, “That’s why we’re negotiating very intently, to make sure we have the right outcome for this community.” The new stadium will partially be funded by the public to the tune of about $850MM. The Governor claims that a deal will be done by April 1, in time for the annual budget.

Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC East, starting with a couple of notes that keep us in the Empire State:

  • The Jets are planning to use this offseason to add some weapons to the roster for quarterback Zach Wilson. They currently have Corey Davis and Elijah Moore sitting atop the depth chart. They would love to bring back Braxton Berrios as a fourth-receiver/gadget player and they haven’t yet given up on Denzel Mims. Still, New York will have ample opportunity to add a potential No. 1 receiver to the roster, according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. The free agent market is home to many household names like Chris Godwin, Allen Robinson, Mike Williams, and, potentially, Amari Cooper. Players like Calvin Ridley and Cole Beasley have been rumored to be available via trade. The 2022 NFL Draft is also so rich in talented receivers that many believe some first round talent could fall to the second round where the Jets have two high picks, if they don’t choose to take a top prospect like Garrett Wilson or Drake London with the 10th overall pick.
  • That being said, Vacchiano also reports that, despite their vast spending ability, general manager Joe Douglas has been preaching the maintenance of financial flexibility. Though the Jets rank in the Top 5 in the NFL in salary cap space, Douglas rejected the notion that their $50-60MM in cap space will be dedicated to big spending in free agency. Douglas acknowledged free agency as just one of “a lot of different tools to improve your roster” and pointed to the Bengals as an example of responsible free agent spending. “I think Cincy did great in free agency last year,” he said. “They didn’t blow the doors off in terms of signing super high-priced guys. They brought in guys who fit exactly what they wanted to do.”
  • According to Mike Giardi of NFL Network, Patriots’ cornerback JC Jackson is likely headed for free agency with some lofty expectations. While Jackson still likes the Patriots, money is a big factor for the 26-year-old. Giardi claims that Jackson is strictly seeking compensation similar to Jalen Ramsey. New England won’t bring that money to the table and it sounds like they won’t be utilizing their franchise tag on Jackson, either. That information could lead to a tag and trade situation if other teams aren’t willing to shell out for Jackson in free agency.

Minor NFL Transactions:  12/16/21

December 16th, 2021 at 8:13am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Placed on IR: LB Ronnie Perkins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: G Wes Martin
  • Promoted: WR Pharoh Cooper

New York Jets

Washington Football Team

Jets To Place Elijah Moore On IR

December 11th, 2021 at 2:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Elijah Moore‘s breakout second half of the season will be paused, and the Jets will be down another of their top skill-position contributors. Moore is headed to IR, Connor Hughes of The Athletic tweets.

The second-round rookie did not practice this week because of a quad injury, though the Jets had yet to rule him out. Moore will now be sidelined for at least three games, halting a quality stretch from the Ole Miss-developed wide receiver.

Moore has scored five touchdowns over his past five games and has played well despite the Jets using four quarterbacks during this span. The Jets now have Moore, Corey Davis and Michael Carter on IR.

After impressing in training camp, Moore started slowly as the Jets threw fellow rookie Zach Wilson into their lineup. However, the latest Rebels-groomed receiving talent began to flash once Mike White and Joe Flacco took the reins during Wilson’s injury hiatus. Moore scored twice in a blowout loss to the Colts, with Josh Johnson being the Jets’ primary passer that night, and caught eight passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in the Jets’ Flacco-quarterbacked loss to the Dolphins in Week 11. He and Wilson began to establish a rapport recently, with the BYU product finding him six times for 77 yards and a score in Week 13.

This will force the Jets to lean on Jamison Crowder. The veteran led the team in receiving in 2019 and 2020 but was given a pay cut earlier this year. Crowder came up in trade rumors as well, but the Jets’ upcoming shorthanded stretch could be a final springboard to another decent free agency payday.

Jets Sign Second-Round WR Elijah Moore

July 21st, 2021 at 10:15pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jets are one step closer to officially signing their entire draft class. The team announced this evening that they’ve signed second-round receiver Elijah Moore.

Per ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter, the four-year deal is fully guaranteed through the first three seasons of the pact. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that the deal is worth a total of $8.94MM, and ESPN’s Rich Cimini tweets that the deal includes a $3.86MM signing bonus.

Moore had a standout career at Ole Miss, and he had his best collegiate season during the 2020 campaign. The receiver finished with 1,257 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns, earning him first-team All-SEC honors and a consensus All-American nod. Thanks to that performance, the Jets made Moore the second pick of the second round (No. 34 overall).

Despite the presence of free agent addition Corey Davis, 2020 second rounder Denzel Mims, and 2020 receiving leader Jamison Crowder, Moore should have an opportunity to contribute immediately. He’ll initially slot in as the fourth wideout behind that aforementioned trio, although the likes of Keelan Cole or Vyncint Smith could push for snaps with strong preseasons.

With this signing, the Jets only have one unsigned draft pick: second-overall pick Zach Wilson.

Poll: Which Rookie Wide Receiver Will Finish With Most Receiving Yards?

July 18th, 2021 at 6:52pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

This past week we asked you which rookie running back would finish with the most yards in 2021, and now we’re turning our attention to the wide receivers. This year’s wideout class was a great one, with three going in the top ten picks.

Two more then went later in the first round, and then five were off the board in the second. The crop included reigning Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, and LSU star Ja’Marr Chase who was reunited in Cincinnati with college teammate Joe Burrow.

Chase became the first receiver off the board when the Bengals nabbed him with the fifth overall pick. He should already have great chemistry with Burrow, so he’s got that working in his favor. Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are still there, but the team moving on from A.J. Green this offseason means Chase should see plenty of opportunity right away. Will his rapport with Burrow and a potentially improved Cincy O-line be enough for him to seize the rookie receiving title?

The following pick, the Dolphins took Jaylen Waddle from Alabama at number six. Waddle is also reconnecting with an old college quarterback as he’ll re-team with Tua Tagovailoa in Miami. His blazing fast speed gives him plenty of upside, although working against him is the fact that he missed a good chunk of the 2020 season due to injury. Will Fuller will have to sit out the first game of the 2021 season with a suspension, but DeVante Parker and Mike Gesicki will also be competing for targets.

Smith *also* is getting paired back up with a familiar face under center. The Heisman winner played with Eagles second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts at Alabama. Despite winning the award for best college football player in the country, Smith was the third wideout taken. Will he use that as added motivation and come out with a chip on his shoulder? He certainly shouldn’t struggle for playing time with Philly’s receiving depth chart being thin as ever. Jalen Reagor, Travis Fulgham, and Greg Ward Jr. are all he has to compete with.

The other two first-rounders were Kadarius Toney from Florida to the Giants at 20 and Rashod Bateman from Minnesota to the Ravens at 27. Toney surprised New York by skipping OTAs and apparently might begin the year in a gadget role as he’s buried behind Sterling Shepard, Kenny Golladay, Darius Slayton, and Evan Engram in the pecking order, so he’s got his work cut out for him. Bateman has a path to a breakout with Baltimore in desperate need of receiving help, but the Ravens’ passing game is going to be a wild card.

Elijah Moore was the next big name, with the Ole Miss product going to the Jets at 34. He’s also got upside, but has a few guys ahead of him and will have a rookie quarterback throwing to him. Rondale Moore (Purdue) to the Cardinals at 49, D’Wayne Eskridge (Western Michigan) to the Seahawks at 56, Tutu Atwell (Louisville) to the Rams at 57, and Terrace Marshall Jr. (LSU) to the Panthers at 59 round out the rest of the round two receivers.

So, what do you think? Which receiver will rack up the most yards in 2021? Who are the later-round candidates or UDFAs who can join these players as early contributors? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.