Getty New York Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore during the 2022 preseason.
For the first time in a long time, there is nothing but positive vibes in New York Jets’ land as the franchise is 4-2 following a blowout win over the Green Bay Packers.
Head coach Robert Saleh is cashing receipts, star cornerback Sauce Gardner is trolling the “Cheeseheads,” and quarterback Zach Wilson is 3-0 since returning from injury — even if he has not truly broken out yet. What could go wrong?
Well, a couple of cryptic tweets from second-year wide receiver Elijah Moore after the game could be something to monitor.
Jets’ Elijah Moore Posts Cryptic Tweets After Packers Win
ESPN’s Rich Cimini shared the “eye-popping” stat during the postgame celebrations: Moore was targeted zero times during the victory in Green Bay. There was actually one deep ball sent his way earlier in the outing but a penalty negated the target — which fell incomplete anyway.
According to the veteran beat reporter, “this one is hard to understand.” Moore entered the 2022 campaign as everyone’s favorite breakout candidate after his torrid stretch from Week 7 through 13 in 2021. An injury ended his rookie year after that, but the Ole Miss star returned fresh this summer.
“If I say what I really wanna say…I’ll be the selfish guy,” Moore responded on Twitter, “we winning. Grateful! Huge blessing! All I ever wanted. [Bitter]sweet for me em but I’ll be solid. So I’ll just stay quiet. Just know I don’t understand either.”
The message was mostly positive from Moore but you can sense a hint of frustration. It’s unclear whether that frustration is for offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur’s playcalling or Wilson’s recent decision-making.
Moore was getting open a ton early in the season with Joe Flacco at the helm but the veteran missed him often, opting to check down to a running back or tight end. Still, the Jets were throwing the ball a lot at the time and Moore was getting his targets (21 over the first three weeks).
To be fair to Wilson, LaFleur has chosen to switch his emphasis to the run ever since Duane Brown has returned. In direct correlation, Moore’s targets have dried up to four per game during Weeks 4 and 5, and now zero in Week 6.
“I support allll my teammates 💯percent too,” Moore clarified later on social media. “Dey know it what it is! I’m behind em like no other. Everyone rocking out neeeeds to keeep rocking out dats part of why we winning! Don’t get it confused either.”
What’s the Deal With Elijah Moore?
The Jets had a particularly poor day passing the football in Green Bay and attempted fewer and fewer connections as the game went on. Outside of Corey Davis (two for 52), the wide receivers were nonexistent — Garrett Wilson and Braxton Berrios each registered one catch for a total of 14 yards combined.
The rookie, Garrett Wilson, led all pass-catching weapons with five total targets.
It’s a bit of a head-scratcher as to why the Jets aren’t forcing the ball in Moore’s hands as they did last season, whether on designed runs or shorter passing routes. His speed is a dangerous asset that is currently being wasted on deep shots that rarely have the time to develop.
It’s simple — if the pass protection doesn’t allow enough time to throw it long, don’t send one of your most dynamic pieces as a decoy on every play. Switch it up and put someone else on a fly route or a double-move every so often.
#Jets snap counts (offense): The recent shift to the run game has meant more PT for TE C.J. Uzomah (more 12 personnel) and less for WR Garrett Wilson (less 11 personnel).
There’s also a question of general playing time. With the run game dominating in Green Bay, Moore was only on the field for 32 offensive snaps while Davis — the better run-blocker — was out there for a team-leading 47 snaps at wide receiver.
The Jets only had 55 offensive snaps to work with, which is somewhat low, and wideouts like Garrett Wilson and Berrios saw even less usage than Moore with two-tight end sets winning the day.
In a deep offensive system like this, it’s always tough to find ways to keep everybody happy. LaFleur needs to find creative ways to get his young wide receivers more involved while still pounding the rock with Breece Hall and Michael Carter. If they can get the two forms of attack to work hand in hand, that’ll take this Jets offense to new heights.
For now, let’s hope this brief Twitter rant is the last we hear of this concerning trend.