Getty Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns.
Training camp is still a few weeks away but Cleveland Browns stars Elijah Moore and Deshaun Watson already putting in work.
Moore, Watson, tight end David Njoku and some others linked up for a workout in Miami this week. Moore shared some clips catching passes from Watson and the connection between the two is already looking sharp.
“Soon Coming to a city near U,” Moore posted as the caption on the video, which shows him catching a deep pass from Watson.
Watson shared additional footage from the workouts and he looked sharp connecting with his Browns pass-catchers.
“Great work with the Bruddas! Work come 1st!” Watson said.
The comments were filled with other Browns players who are eager to get the season going.
“It’s adding up,” Browns receiver David Bell wrote. Moore, Njoku, Donovan Peoples-Jones and James Hudson also chimed in with various comments.
Browns Have Been Building Chemistry in Offseason
Watson has been doing his part to build chemistry with his offensive teammates this offseason. He hosted a Puerto Rico workout/getaway earlier this offseason, letting players get a feel for each other both in a football sense, but also a personal one.
“We were in the hotel, and he’s in the playbook when we’re chilling on the beach,” Moore said of Watson in May. “We just got done working out. We all got work done, and he’s still in the playbook, so seeing how he is with that only gives us more confidence. Like, ‘Okay, let us go look at the playbook one more time. I can’t ask for nothing better.”
Watson has looked especially sharp in the Browns offseason workouts, albeit it’s a bit easier for things to look good with no pads and limited pressure. However, Watson admitted he feels more comfortable heading into his second season in Cleveland and has built a solid foundation with head coach Kevin Stefanski, as well as offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
“I’m pretty far ahead of where I was last year,” Watson said during minicamp. “Last year was, as far as football, being on the field, just running a new system, trying to adapt to different teammates, different players, how guys run routes, how Kevin calls the plays, and just being able to process the game at the speed I know.”
Browns Have High Expectations for Elijah Moore
The Browns have high hopes for Moore, who arrived via a trade this offseason from the New York Jets. He’s entering his third year and has shown some upside but appears to be in the right situation where he can take off.
“I can’t do anything but feel blessed to be in the opportunity that I’m in right this moment,” Moore said. “It feels good to be wanted, and it’s going to make any player, any human, go harder when you feel like that and you feel like you’re around people who want you to be here.
“So I’m going to give it all I got every single day.”
The Browns are bringing back their top two receivers from last season in Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones. However, Moore is someone they see as a pefect fit with his versatility and ability to get behind the defense.
“He has exceptional ball skills and very strong hands, so as well as Deshaun throws the ball and as well as Deshaun throws the ball down the field, Elijah’s able to track the ball at all levels of the offense,” Browns wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea said about Moore, per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal.
“He can track the ball in that short area and take a ball and catch and run. He can get behind the defense and track the deep ball very well and especially at his size, being a smaller receiver, he really plays big in my opinion and he’s got exceptional ball skills. So it fits really well with our quarterback.”