What Elijah Moore's Injury Means For the Jets
When the Jets take the field Sunday afternoon against the Saints, New York's offense will be missing their three best playmakers.
Wideout Corey Davis is out for the rest of the year after undergoing season-ending core muscle surgery, rookie running back Michael Carter is currently sidelined with an ankle sprain and now, rookie receiver Elijah Moore joins them on injured reserve with a quad injury.
Earlier in the week, Jets head coach Robert Saleh said he was hopeful Moore would be able to go this week against New Orleans, testing out the quad in practice with a few days to go before kickoff. Moore was then placed on IR on Saturday.
As of now, the hope is that the second-rounder will be sidelined for only three weeks, per Connor Hughes of The Athletic. If that's the case, that would give Moore two games at the end of the year to suit up and finish his rookie year strong.
Hughes reported that this isn't definitive, though. There's also a chance that Moore won't take the field again until next season.
Let's be honest, if he's not 100 percent, there's no reason Moore should be back between the lines this year. Same goes for any young player on this rebuilding roster.
In the short term, this is a devastating blow for New York. Moore has been Gang Green's most reliable and explosive wideout over the last six weeks. Heck, he's hauled in five touchdown passes in the Jets' last five games, tied for the most in the NFL.
On the season, Moore has racked up 538 receiving yards with 43 catches on 77 targets, leading the Jets in each of those three categories. Not bad for a player that started the year with 79 receiving yards through Week 7.
It's not like the Jets need to win these games to stay in postseason contention. That ship never needed to set sail. But with rookie quarterback Zach Wilson healthy and looking to build some momentum over the final five weeks of this campaign, it's unfortunate that Moore won't be around at his disposal.
With Davis and Carter out as well—not to mention other injured players on offense like Mekhi Becton, Tevin Coleman, Tyler Kroft and more—Sunday might get ugly for Wilson and this offensive unit.
Again, at this point in the season, New York should be looking for promising performances and growth more than anything, but another humiliating blowout loss is the last thing this club needs. New Orleans has a stout defense that could keep New York off the board on Sunday (granted, the Saints have also lost five games in a row entering this week).
On another note, look for Jamison Crowder, Keelan Cole and Braxton Berrios to be on the receiving end of the majority of Wilson's throws on Sunday. Denzel Mims could finally break out as well, but we've been saying that practically every week this season when he's been healthy and active and it hasn't happened yet.
MORE:
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- Is Trey McBride the Jets’ Tight End of the Future?
- Evaluating Zach Wilson's Performance Against Philadelphia
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