Elijah Moore was added in a trade with the New York Jets last season as the Cleveland Browns were looking for a young wideout to pair with Amari Cooper. The former 34th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Moore fell out of favor with the Jets but offered Cleveland everything they were looking for in a No. 2 wide receiver.
Moore is versatile enough to play outside as well as in the slot and has the speed to stretch the field. The Browns even experimented with him in the backfield and while that didn't go as planned, it speaks to the level of talent he brings to the table.
His first season was solid with 640 yards and two touchdowns on 59 receptions — but it's probably not what he was expecting. It's also not his fault the numbers weren't higher. Cleveland went through five different quarterbacks during the season which impacted everyone's numbers — or at least they did until Joe Flacco showed up and turned into an older Patrick Mahomes.
Looking ahead to 2024, everyone is expecting more from the offense — provided Deshaun Watson stays healthy. Moore, however, seems to feel disrespected about something and took to Twitter to vent his frustrations while claiming he will outwork everyone.
We don't want to speculate too much but perhaps this is in response to questions regarding his attendance at voluntary camps. Moore was one of several big-name players on Cleveland's roster to skip the first few days of practice, which is the norm for some of the better players in the NFL.
Of course, the Browns are learning a slightly different offense with new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey taking a more active role. Similar questions were asked in 2023 when Myles Garrett stayed home while Jim Schwartz installed a new defense.
Garrett ended up winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award, so it worked out fine for him. Moore might not know some of the wrinkles Dorsey is bringing in but it appears much of that will center around the quarterback — and Deshaun Watson is there.
Moore surely isn't missing much and when the time comes that he has to be there, he will. And considering how he played with all the uncertainty under center in 2023, he should be just fine when he does arrive.
