Getty Wide receiver Elijah Moore of the Cleveland Browns.
The Cleveland Browns played the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football without their best wide receiver in Amari Cooper, then lost their No. 2 guy when Elijah Moore hit the deck with a scary head injury.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski spoke with media members on Friday, December 29, and shared injury updates on both players — neither of which were overwhelmingly positive or certain in any way.
“Elijah Moore spent the night in the hospital. He is home now. He’s in concussion protocol, so we’ll just work through that over the next few days with him, but glad that he’s back home,” Stefanski said. “I don’t have a ton of other information other than [to] say that he’s doing better, he’s home. I’ve been texting with him. Those are always scary, as we all know.”
Moore left the game after his head slammed into the turf during a play, resulting in involuntary spasms as the receiver lay on the field. Before his exit, Moore caught five passes on six targets for 61 yards and scored a touchdown against his former team, which traded him to Cleveland for a pick swap earlier this year.
“I’m very proud of him,” Stefanski said. “He was getting going. I thought the route he ran for that touchdown was outstanding. He’s done a great job for us. And with Amari going down, put him over there in that spot and didn’t miss a beat. I mean, the play he made to break up [what] was almost an interception — break it up, grab it — he was outstanding.”
Moore has produced career highs in catches (59) and yards (640) with 2 touchdowns in 16 games, including 11 starts, per Pro Football Reference.
Browns Sit WR Amari Cooper Against Jets After Historic Performance
GettyWide receiver Amari Cooper of the Cleveland Browns.
Cooper missed Thursday night’s game with a heel injury, which thrust Moore into the national spotlight in what was a successful revenge game before his head trauma.
The Browns’ No. 1 wide receiver was coming off of a franchise record 265 receiving yards against the Houston Texans the game before but had only four days to recover, which Stefanski said played into the decision to keep Cooper on the sideline.
“It’s really hard to know what happens on these short weeks. You go into it and you don’t know until the guys get out there on the field and have to move around,” Stefanski said. “In Amari’s case, he couldn’t go and he tried like crazy. But I do think rest will be a big deal this weekend, and then we’ll see how he’s doing next week.”
Browns Don’t Need to Rush Elijah Moore or Amari Cooper Back After Clinching Playoff Spot
GettyWide receiver Elijah Moore of the Cleveland Browns.
Head injuries like the one Moore suffered are dangerous and can linger, so his chances of returning for the team’s final game of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals are probably less than Cooper’s odds of coming back. That said, the Browns may have no reason to play either wideout.
Cleveland (11-5) clinched a playoff spot on Thursday on the strength of a four-game win streak and may not have call to play any of their top and/or injured players in Cincinnati, depending on how everything else shakes out in Week 17. That includes quarterback Joe Flacco, who has been among the best players in the NFL over the past month.
The circumstances will give the Browns a chance to get healthy as they try to win the second playoff game of Stefanski’s four-year tenure in Cleveland.