Elijah Moore got a much-needed change of scenery this offseason, as the New York Jets traded the upcoming third-year player to the Cleveland Browns after a year that saw him experience a dip in production and request a exchange. Now, Moore will catch the steps of star quarterback Deshaun Watson, with whom the former is trying to build chemistry before training camp. So far so good.
Moore described on the Browns’ official team website Thursday how Watson took some of his teammates on a trip to Puerto Rico, where Moore watched Watson craft.
“We were at the hotel and he’s in the playbook when we’re relaxing on the beach,” Moore said. “We just put in the work. We all put in the work, and he’s still in the playbook, so seeing how he’s doing with it just gives us more confidence. Like, ‘OK, let’s go look at the playbook one more time “. I can’t ask for anything better.”
The outsider referred to the getaway as a “smooth” ride and hopes her relationship with Watson will “go well.” Watson was suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 NFL season due to allegations of sexual misconduct. He sat out the previous year with the Houston Texans, who traded him to Cleveland in March 2022.
Cleveland acquired Moore and the No. 74 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft from New York in March for the No. 42 pick. Moore joins a Browns wide receiver corps that includes Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones and the third-round draft pick Cedric Tillman.
Moore had 37 receptions for 446 yards and a touchdown last season. Simultaneously, wide receiver Garrett Wilson put together a rookie campaign for the Jets, which ended with him earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Wide receiver Denzel Mims, whom New York selected in the second round of the 2020 draft, also requested a trade before the 2022 season.
Moore had 43 receptions for 538 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games in his rookie season (2021). The Jets selected Moore with the No. 34 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss.
Moore feels right at home with the Browns.
“I can’t do anything but feel blessed to have the opportunity that I’m in right now,” Moore said. “It feels good to be wanted, and it’s going to make any player, any human, tougher when you feel that way, and you feel like you’re around people who want you to be here.
“So I’m going to give everything I’ve got every day.”
National Football League
Cleveland Browns
Elijah Moore
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