CLEVELAND, Ohio — When the Browns traded for Elijah Moore from the Jets ahead of the 2023 season, the automatic assumption was they’d plug Moore into the slot off the rip. It made sense as Moore had just played 49.6% of his snaps in the slot during the 2022 season, per Pro Football Focus.
Moore played 44.0% of his snaps in the slot during his first season with the Browns, and it was solid; but it’s far from what he is capable of doing on the field.
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With the hiring Ken Dorsey as their new offensive coordinator, and the Browns becoming locked into making a deep run, they’ll need everyone to contribute to a winning formula.
But it also includes making sure everyone is in the right placements in the scheme. So for Moore, this comes with the questioning of where he fits best in the Browns’ offense.
Which brings us to the subject of Moore: has he been more effective in the slot or out wide?
Moore’s 2023 regular season
Moore’s third pro season featured career marks in multiple areas, including receptions (59) and targets (104), receiving yards (640) and receiving first downs (28). But Moore also only recorded 10.8 yards per reception, and recorded both of his touchdowns in the second half of the season.
It took a while for Moore to find his footing during the season. Statistically speaking, his best performance was when catching five of his six targets for 61 yards (12.2 per reception) and one touchdown in the Week 17 win over the Jets, his former team.
There were his four catches for 83 yards (20.8 per reception) versus the Rams, but that came with 12 targets.
He’d record three games with 50 or more receiving yards, but also three games with less than 20 receiving yards.
It also didn’t help when he was used as a running back on a jet sweeps through the first few games. It worked in Week 1 with 19 rushing yards on two carries, but ran its course after a minus-20-yard run in the Week 4 loss to Baltimore.
Slot vs. Wide (regular season)
Slot
Moore played 44.0% of his snaps in the slot, per PFF.
Within those snaps, Moore was targeted 31 times and had a catch rate of 64.5% (20 catches). He totaled 191 yards and averaged 3.7 yards after catch.
Browns quarterbacks had a passer rating of just 68.1 when targeting Moore in the slot.
Wide
Out wide, Moore was targeted 64 times and had a catch rate of 52% (39 catches) for 415 yards. Neither of his two touchdowns came from playing wide, and he gained less after the catch (3.0)
It did come with good moments, including a 42-yard reception in the Week 13 loss to the Rams.
What this all means
Moore was targeted far more out wide, resulting in a higher amount of yards. But he was more efficient when targeted in the slot.
Depth of target didn’t seem to have much to do with it, either. Moore’s overall depth of target was 11.3 yards. In the slot, it was 11.0.
By the numbers provided, Moore is better suited in the slot regarding an efficient catch rate and gaining yards after making the catch.
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