Browns: Elijah Moore already looking like the steal of the offseason

Elijah Moore was brought to the Cleveland Browns via a trade with the New York Jets this past offseason. General manager Andrew Berry grabbed Moore, who was unhappy in New York, for his 2023 second-round pick.

Not only did he get Moore, but he also got the number 74 pick in the 2023 NFL draft that turned into Cedric Tillman. So far in camp, it looks like the Browns may have the steal of the offseason in Elijah Moore. 

Moore's rookie campaign should be the first reason Browns' fans should be excited. On 77 targets, Moore caught 43 balls for 538 yards and five touchdowns. His advanced numbers show that the catchable target rate from his quarterbacks was 68.8 percent (81st in the NFL) meaning 53 of those targets were catchable.

He still finished in the top 20 with six total touchdowns, in the top 40 wideouts in separation rate, 19th in juke rate, 22nd in drops with six, and 19th in contested catch rate. All of that was with three different quarterbacks that only threw 20 touchdowns.

If you have looked at some of the analytics regarding Moore is easy to see the potential if he had strong quarterback play. Per Player Profiler in 2022, Moore ranked 28th in route wins, 25th in route win rate, and 12th in target separation.

These numbers show the potential for Moore to have a breakout season with the Browns, especially if Deshaun Watson continues to look as sharp as he has so far. 

One-handed grabs, toe-tap touchdown receptions, and shaking defensive backs looked easy for the former second-round pick in the mandatory minicamp. Moore has put on quite a show in just three days of camp.

Browns fans should be thrilled, considering we have Donovan Peoples-Jones and Amari Cooper already in place and productive. The excitement around this receiver group is palpable.

It looks like the wide receiver is as deep as it has ever been and the quarterback running things seems to be using every weapon.