The NFL world was hit with a shocking development on Thursday afternoon when it was reported that the New York Jets’ recent second-round selection, Elijah Moore, had officially requested a trade.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, as of right now, all indications are that the Jets will not cooperate with Moore’s request, and there’s valid reason to believe them.
This offseason, disgruntled wide receiver Denzel Mims also voiced his desire to change teams, but to no avail, as the Jets stood strong behind their leverage and held on to their young talent.
It’s hard to imagine any realistic scenario where New York does anything different this time around.
Nevertheless, this is something the Titans should constantly be kicking the tires on over the coming weeks just in case the Jets have a change of heart.
Tennessee’s receivers room desperately needs an influx of talent in the worst possible way.
Moore may not have the prototypical receiver build that Tennessee seemingly aims for with their premium picks in the draft, but what he does possess is an undeniable talent, an intriguing skill set, and a ridiculously high ceiling.
During the pre-draft process, the Jets receiver was in the 90th percentile or better for his production (99th percentile), athleticism (90th percentile), and as an overall prospect (94th percentile).
Ole Miss WR @e_moore03 is a SURGEON with it ❕
(via @GoldFeetFormula) pic.twitter.com/pP8QL2gZ54
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) March 2, 2021
According to Pro Football Focus, the Ole Miss product finished his final collegiate season with the third-highest overall grade in the country (91.2) after producing 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns.
Even more impressive is the fact that he did all this in just eight games against an all-SEC schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the reduced schedule, the second-year wideout still accounted for over 90 yards seven different times that year, reaching at least 225 receiving yards on three separate occasions (Florida, at Vanderbilt, South Carolina).
In total, Moore averaged 10.8 catches and 157 scrimmage yards per game that season, while also producing at least one step of separation on 90 percent of his targets, per PFF.
Watch the inside WR in the bunch – Elijah Moore
Look at this separation! Holy moly @EaglesXOs pic.twitter.com/Xo6LGuaYdh
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) November 15, 2020
Unfortunately, that type of potent production hasn’t followed him to the pros just yet, but things did look very promising at one point last year.
The Ole Miss legend had a productive rookie campaign that saw him finish with a PFF grade of 71.2 after catching 43 passes for a total of 538 yards and five touchdowns.
Most of Moore’s damage came in a six-week stretch in which he looked to be becoming the top-notch receiver we all thought he would be. From Week 8 to 13, Moore tallied 34 catches for 459 yards and five touchdowns.
However, things have started to implode ever since.
Moore’s PFF grade currently sits at an underwhelming 58.3 after six weeks. Also, after seeing 21 targets throughout the first three games of the 2022 season, Moore’s target share plummeted down to just eight the last three.
In all, he currently ranks sixth in receptions (16), fifth in yards (203), and fourth in targets within his own team.
Truthfully, It’s easy to see why an underutilized talent of his caliber is getting upset at this type of diminishing role.
The part that’s hard to stomach for Jets fans is the fact that this outburst is happening during the Jets’ most promising start since the peak of the Rex Ryan era.
Re Elijah Moore…definitely not the best look asking for a trade while your team is playing winning football. On the flip side, this dude is too talented to be this underutilized. You mean you can’t find ways to get the ball in his hands?! Both parties need to figure this out!
— Damien Woody (@damienwoody) October 20, 2022
This request comes off a bit selfish, but at the same time you can’t blame the guy for being frustrated that he’s being out-targeted by the likes of Tyler Conklin.
If the Titans were to make a move for the young wideout, they would have to make sure that they’re confident in their own capabilities to maximize Moore’s talents to their fullest potential.
Last season, the Jets invested the 34th overall pick to select the Florida native. Therefore, at minimum, you’d would have to imagine they’d want something somewhat equivalent to that investment in return
Needless to say, if Tennessee goes anywhere near that type of price tag, it better be completely sold on what its buying.
Moore also has a reasonable contract for any team that acquires his services.
The 22-year old is still playing under his rookie deal, a contract that has a base salary that never eclipses $2 million, along with a cap hit that doesn’t top more than $2.9 million throughout the duration of the deal, per Spotrac.
Nonetheless, the only way the Titans can justify a move of that caliber is by having an emphatic belief that they’ll be able to maximize Moore’s abilities to the point that he becomes an integral part of their long-term plans as well.
Should the Titans go this route, they’ll immediately have a formidable duo of young pass-catchers to hopefully build around for the foreseeable future.
The former consensus All-American possesses the versatility and experience to play on the outside as the primary X, or on the inside as the slot. That’s something that should intrigue someone like Mike Vrabel, someone who clearly values a player’s ability to help the team out in multiple ways.
A lot of teams should be picking up the phone aggressively trying to trade for Elijah Moore.
He would see the dynasty boost that Amari Cooper had going from Oakland to Dallas or Robert Woods had going from Buffalo to Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/MSndNX5MFw
— TheOGfantasyfootball (@TheOGfantasy) October 20, 2022
The real question at hand surrounds Moore and his long term happiness. Would leaving New York for Tennessee to play in a run-first offense with Ryan Tannehill as his quarterback make Moore happier than he is now?
And will he be getting good reviews about the Titans from their former wide receiver and his longtime friend, A.J. Brown, after their bitter breakup earlier this offseason?
As of this moment, the answer to all of that is likely a resounding no, but that doesn’t mean the 22-year old receiver wouldn’t eventually embrace a promising place like Tennessee as his new home.
Again, as I stated earlier, the only way you can justify this type of move if you’re the Titans is if you genuinely have an unwavering belief that your culture would be able to satisfy Moore, both on and off the field.
If that’s the case, then the Titans should be that annoying team that calls the Jets every single day regarding Moore’s availability to see if anything changes from now until the November 1st trade deadline.
