Getty New Cleveland Browns receiver Elijah Moore.
Elijah Moore is pumped to be a member of the Cleveland Browns and it might come with a shift in identity — on the field, at least.
Moore is weighing what jersey number he’ll wear next season and it looks like the finalists are No. 8 and 0. Moore would become the first Browns player to wear No. 0 if he so chooses. Owners recently passed a rule to allow the No. 0 to be in play.
“8 or 0,” Moore tweeted with an eyeball emoji.
8 or 0 👀
The rule to allow the No. 0 to be in play was proposed by the Philadelphia Eagles and allows quarterbacks to choose from numbers 0-19; defensive backs 0-49; fullbacks, tight ends, halfbacks and wide receivers 0-49 and 80-89; linebackers 0-59 and 90-99. Offensive linemen must choose from numbers 50-79, while defensive linemen can wear 50-79 and 90-99.
Moore previously wore No. 8 with the New York Jets — the same number he wore in college. So if he chooses 0, it would be a significant shift. But due to the popularity of the new number, it would be one of the more popular jerseys, which would be multiplied if he ended up thriving in Cleveland.
Cleveland Browns Have High Hopes for Elijah Moore
The last two years Andrew Berry has made two trades to completely change Cleveland’s wide receiver room:
2022 – Amari Cooper and 6th round pick for a 5th and 6th round pick.
2023 – Elijah Moore and a 3rd round pick for a 2nd round pick.
Andrew Berry continues to out smart…
The Browns were patient with their plans to improve the wide receiver position and ended up landing Moore via trade. He was a player the Browns were eyeing for some time and ended up getting him for a second-round pick, which was really more of a pick swap, seeing as they got a third-round pick in return as well.
Moore had a tough second season with the Jets but the Browns are confident that the change in scenery will help the former second-round receiver thrive.
“We feel very good about Elijah,” Browns GM Berry said at the NFL Annual Meeting. “Loves ball, hard worker. He’s a good teammate. This is a guy that despite some of the ups and downs in New York, and obviously we have a really good relationship with that organization, but we feel good about who Elijah is bringing him into our building and think he’s going to do well there.”
Moore has been posting workout clips and looks ready to hit the ground running in Cleveland.
Elijah Moore Happy to Work With ‘Legit’ QB Deshaun Watson
One of the biggest gripes Moore had in New York was with the quarterback situation, voicing his displeasure with Zach Wilson not targeting him more. Now in Cleveland, Moore will be catching passes from Deshaun Watson — a former passing leader who can make big plays with his legs.
“I am super excited. He is a legit quarterback. He is someone who has been doing some amazing things around the league,” Moore said during his introductory press conference. “He has respect from everybody around the league. They talk really highly about him here, and they believe in him. With him being my quarterback, I believe in him, too. I am grateful to be one of his guys.”
After an 11-game suspension, Watson played the final six games for the Browns, with the team going 3-3. Watson showed glimpses of his Pro Bowl form but completed 58.2% of his passes for 1,102 yards and seven touchdowns with five interceptions.