Should the Chicago Bears trade for Elijah Moore if he becomes available?
On Thursday, the second-year wide receiver Elijah Moore was sent home from practice. This led to a report from Ian Rapoport that Moore had requested a trade from the Jets. I
t has been rumored that Moore is unhappy with his role on the team. There are not many teams who need a weapon like Elijah Moore as badly as the Chicago Bears. Will they pick up the phone and try to get Moore in a Bears uniform? Let’s discuss why they should absolutely put a deal together for the second-year wide receiver.
From @GMFB: #Jets WR Elijah Moore wants to be traded, a request the team has no plans to accommodate. https://t.co/pKw7LbkPPA
Robert Salah spoke to the media following the incident and assured them that things were fine and guys are just competitive. We all know where there is smoke, there is fire. Is this the beginning of the end for Elijah Moore? Should the Chicago Bears make an offer to enhance their wide-receiving core? The Jets have already ruled Elijah Moore out of their upcoming game against the Denver Broncos. Although the team says they have no indication of moving Moore, we all know it is bound to happen soon.
It is no secret that the Chicago Bears lack weapons at the wide receiver position. Currently, the Chicago Bears wide receiving core ranks 30th overall per PFF. This is a direct result of not having enough reliable options for Justin Fields to throw to. Darnell Mooney is a nice weapon but after him, it is not much there. Bringing in Elijah Moore would be a big boost for this offense.
In his rookie season, Elijah Moore had 43 receptions on 77 targets for 538 yards. He finished 3rd in receiving touchdowns by rookie wide receivers with five. Currently, Elijah Moore is 5th in targets and 6th in receptions on the Jets roster. Being inserted into the Chicago Bears lineup, he would be 2nd in yards and receptions with his current stats.
The Chicago Bears would benefit greatly from having a weapon like Elijah Moore. He makes the offense more multi-dimensional and takes some pressure off of Darnell Mooney. There would be ample opportunity for Elijah Moore in the Bears’ offense which would solve his current problem. Will these opportunities lead to success? That remains to be seen but he will definitely have the volume to be productive.
The production this year has been underwhelming from Elijah Moore. Is some of that on him? Of course. Is some of that on the offensive scheme set by offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur? Absolutely. In my estimation, Elijah Moore has a couple of other problems that are resulting in his lack of production. All of these combined are reasons why I feel he is unhappy with his current role.
The first issue for Elijah Moore is that the Jets have more weapons at their disposal this season. Rookies Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall have been phenomenal thus far. Add that to the new addition of tight-end Tyler Conklin, and we are already at the 4th option. This does not include the team’s leading weapon Corey Davis who has over 350 receiving yards with two touchdowns. Mike LaFleur was asked about Elijah Moore’s role and why he has not been productive, and he stated it was due to several factors. This is the perfect coach answer to the question but what really is going on, is that the Jets just have better pieces this year.
Mike LaFleur on Elijah Moore’s frustration: “These guys are competitors … you want those guys to want the ball. Ultimately, we’re going to do what’s the best to score points and win, and he’s a big part of that.”
#Jets
The second issue is that Moore just doesn’t have chemistry with quarterback Zach Wilson. His splits with Joe Flacco at quarterback versus Wilson are night and day. During the first three games, Elijah Moore had targets of seven, five, and nine. Once Zach Wilson returned, the production plummeted. In the last three games, his targets were four, four, and zero. I’m not saying this is the main reason for frustration by Elijah Moore but it doesn’t help at all. In this Chicago Bears offense, he will not have that problem. He would be the bonafide second option and receive a ton of volume.
In summation, the trade between the New York Jets and Chicago Bears makes a lot of sense. Now, will it happen? We will have to wait and see, but there is no doubt this is beneficial for both teams. The November schedule is manageable for the Chicago Bears who are not out of the playoff mix. They sit one game out of a wild card spot behind a slew of 3-3 teams. The addition of Elijah Moore could give this offense a jolt in pursuit of a playoff push.
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