The New York Jets have had their share of recent NFL Draft busts, and Elijah Moore is a prime example of that. Now, the Buffalo Bills have reportedly signed him to a one-year deal worth up to $5 million, according to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, hoping he can improve a shaky wide receiver room.
Moore's Jets tenure was nothing short of a disaster. He was selected by the team coming out of Ole Miss in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft and entered the league with a lot of promise, only to be traded to the Cleveland Browns after just two seasons. He had averaged under 500 yards receiving and three touchdowns in those two years with New York prior to the trade.
But as underwhelming as that might seem to Bills fans, his play with Cleveland suggests that there's a decent amount of upside with this pickup.
Elijah Moore adds much-needed depth to depleted Bills WR room
This receiver room isn't horrible, but it isn't good either. It is headlined by Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer, the latter of whom Buffalo just signed in free agency. There's a decent amount of talent, but no clear No. 1 option for Josh Allen to throw to. Allen didn't need that in his MVP season, and I'm not here to say Moore will become that No. 1 target, but he does add another trustworthy weapon for Allen, which is a good thing.
Moore's Jets tenure was underwhelming, especially when considering where he was drafted, but he averaged nearly 600 receiving yards in his two seasons in Cleveland despite dealing with putrid quarterback play throughout. He won't be anything more than the third or fourth option among Bills wideouts, but the step up from the likes of Deshaun Watson and Jameis Winston in Cleveland and even Zach Wilson in New York to the reigning MVP has to mean good things for Moore.
This is a low-risk move for Buffalo with the chance for decent reward. He might not have lived up to his draft hype, but Moore is a very solid complementary weapon. Considering his talent and his age (25), who knows, the best might be on the horizon. On a cheap one-year deal with the chance to stick it to their AFC East rivals, this was a no-brainer signing for Buffalo to make.