Malachi Moore Stands Out as Jets' Biggest Concern Coming out of Minicamp

As the New York Jets head into their summer break following the conclusion of mandatory minicamp, some players know they still have some work to do to make up for what has been an underwhelming offseason program so far.

One of them is safety Malachi Moore, who heads into his second season in the NFL after recording the second-most tackles (101) on the team in 2025. Despite the success he experienced in his rookie campaign, it has not been smooth sailing for the former fourth-round pick out of Alabama.

Moore already had a quiet showing in OTAs, and that carried over to minicamp as he struggled in coverage and has failed to take the next step many inside the organization would like to see with so much talent around him at the position. Granted, second-year tight end Mason Taylor also had a subpar minicamp performance, but that is no excuse for Moore if he wants to improve and build off his rookie season.

Malachi Moore's concerning minicamp performance is the last thing the Jets wanted to see

While wide receiver Adonai Mitchell and cornerback Nahshon Wright were some of the biggest winners from minicamp last week, it was the complete opposite for Moore.

Without any standout plays to his credit over the offseason heading into his second year, Moore has been one of the more surprising losers ahead of the 2026 season.

As previously mentioned, he still had 101 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, three pass deflections, and a forced fumble in 17 games (14 starts) last season, and that was even on a defense that allowed the second-most points per game (29.6 PPG) and failed to record a single interception.

With that said, newcomers Minkah Fitzpatrick and Dane Belton will put even more pressure on Moore to perform when you consider the talent they bring into this safety room that needs all the help it can get from last season.

According to Pro Football Focus, Moore's overall grade from last season (58.9) was 72nd out of 98 qualified safeties. Meanwhile, his coverage grade (54) was ranked 70th, and his run defense grade (70.1) was 53rd. Again, he did not have a strong unit around him, but that points to a player who still has a lot of room for improvement despite the success that he experienced.

To make matters more interesting, Andre Cisco has emerged as a sleeper to make the 53-man roster due to his solid offseason performance. While bad tackling, poor coverage, and mistakes plagued him last season and made his return far from a guarantee, Cisco re-signed on a $2.5 million deal as the Jets looked to prioritize depth.

Before OTAs got underway, Cisco's future was up in the air, as his overall body of work was not the most encouraging. However, as we head into training camp next month, the veteran has gone from fighting for his job to a potential starter, pushing Moore down the safety depth chart amid his offseason struggles.

Moore currently finds himself behind Cisco at the strong safety position, while Fitzpatrick and Belton are the top two on the depth chart at free safety. As someone who made 14 starts during his rookie season, that is not the situation that Moore wanted to find himself in at this point in the offseason.

Moore's disappointing showing in OTAs and minicamp has now become a concern to a Jets secondary that can certainly use any improvements it can get after last season. There are many emerging developments as the Jets begin their summer break, but Moore's poor play is arguably the most concerning for the 2025 draft class, which has seen several members take a step back.

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