Cleveland Browns: Elijah Moore Is What The Browns Have Been Missing

Earlier this week the Browns finally added another wide receiver to their offense, as they traded for Elijah Moore. The move was done for what seems to be pennies on the dollar, considering the Browns received a draft pick from this year back in the trade.

Cheap Addition, Huge Upside

To make the deal even sweeter, Moore is still on his rookie contract the next two years, only being due a little over a million each season. This allows the team to not only extend Donovan Peoples-Jones later this year as speculated, but to keep their wide receiver one in Amari Cooper around for longer than expected. 

What he will do for the Browns offense this upcoming season far outshines his team friendly salary and what it took to get him, as Moore’s a perfect example of a “diamond in the rough” situation. 

Of course at a macro level less than 1,000 receiving yards total in two seasons isn’t great, but with all wide receivers you have to consider who is throwing him the ball. 

Looking at that 12 game sample size, two things automatically jump off the page: yards after catch and drop rate.

Sure-Handed Receiver

This information is huge considering the Browns were in the bottom ten of the league in yards after catch and multiple receivers on the team had significant issues with drops. Moore’s ability to consistently haul in targets and make plays in the open field will only help an offense that struggled to stay ahead of the chains, forcing Deshaun Watson to spend more time in the pocket than any other QB in the league last year. 

Moore’s pure precense on the field will have an immediate impact on the offense schematically as well. Since Odell Beckhams injury in 2020, the Browns have not had a consistent enough deep threat to put aggressive defenses on their heels. Year after year, teams have loaded the box to stop Nick Chubb knowing the Browns have no receiver that can take the top off their secondary. 

Last year, Elijah Moore had an average separation of 3.1 yards and defenses gave him an average cushion of 6.1 yards, and both are better than any Browns receiver last year.

Opening up this offense means the wear and tear on Nick Chubb and the rushing attack will only lower, and considering how well Chubb has done against loaded boxes in the past, it seems safe to assume his rushing averages will only be higher. 

In conclusion, this trade seems like a homerun. The minimal trade compensation, his low salary, and the multiple solutions he provides for this offense makes it seem outstanding, though he must show us on the field.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry has to be commended for this offseason, fixing so many holes on the roster so quickly, but this trade is easily his best move since the new league year started. The Browns, especially their offense, have a lot of expectations this year. With this “make or break” season for Cleveland, at least we know one thing; they have plenty of playmakers to get it done.