Bills Central

Elijah Moore stat shows why Bills wide receiver could explode with Josh Allen

New Buffalo Bills wide receiver Elijah Moore has a chance to truly break out in 2025, especially after seeing one specific stat from his time with the Cleveland Browns.
Mike Moraitis|
Former Cleveland Browns and new Buffalo Bills wide receiver Elijah Moor.
Former Cleveland Browns and new Buffalo Bills wide receiver Elijah Moor. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

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If there's one thing we can say for sure when it comes to new Buffalo Bills wide receiver Elijah Moore, it's that he has never enjoyed the kind of quarterback situation he'll have in Buffalo.

A former second-round pick of the New York Jets in 2021, Moore, who has had a disappointing career to this point, had to deal with the likes of Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, Mike White and others throwing him the rock.

Then, over his two years with the Cleveland Browns, Moore had to catch passes from an abysmal Deshaun Watson. Last season, the Browns saw Watson, Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe take snaps under center.

While we didn't need evidence that Moore once again had a lot to overcome with shoddy quarterback play in 2024, we now have it.

The host of the Locked on Bills podcast, Joe Marino, posted a list of the pass-catchers who had the "lowest catchable target rate" in the league last season and Moore finished at No. 5 on the list.

Former Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper made the cut at No. 2, but he was also on the Browns last season. Marino revealed that after Cooper went to Buffalo, his catchable passes rate went from 62.3% to 75% with Allen.

It goes without saying that an elite quarterback like Allen is going to offer a far more consistent thrower than anyone Moore has played with during his career.

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Because of that, it's fair to assume that Moore has a great shot to truly break out, which would make him a total steal after the Bills inked the Ole Miss product to a one-year deal worth up to $5 million.

While Moore is expected to slot in as the No. 4 target in the offense, there's a path for him to garner a bigger role with uncertainty surrounding Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer.

Elijah Moore (8)
Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard (31) tackles Cleveland Browns wide receiver Elijah Moore (8) during the third quarter in Cleveland, Ohio, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Mike Moraitis
MIKE MORAITIS

Mike Moraitis is a freelance writer who has covered the NFL for major outlets such as Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News. He has previously written for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and FanSided, and got his start in sports media at Bleacher Report.

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