Browns' Elijah Moore seems to throw shade toward Jets QBs

New Cleveland Browns wide receiver Elijah Moore appeared to throw some shade toward Zach Wilson and other New York Jets quarterbacks while offering praise for Deshaun Watson.

"He's a legit quarterback," Moore said of Watson on Thursday, per Daryl Ruiter of Cleveland radio station 92.3 The Fan. "It's someone that has been doing some amazing things around the league. He has respect from everybody around the league. They talk really highly about him here and they believe in him, and man, with him being my quarterback, I believe in him too. So, I'm just grateful to be one of his guys." 

Moore took to Twitter this past October seemingly to complain about seeing zero passes from Wilson during a victory, and the 22-year-old was subsequently excused from practice before it was learned he had requested a trade. No such trade came ahead of the deadline even after it was reported Moore had a "blowup" with then-Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, and the second-round selection from the 2021 NFL Draft ultimately returned to the lineup. 

In total, Moore accumulated just 37 catches for 446 yards and a touchdown with the Jets during the 2022 season. 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (h/t Eric Edholm) reported Wednesday that the Browns acquired Moore and the No. 74 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft for the 42nd overall choice in this year's player-selection process. 

While with the Jets, Moore caught passes thrown by Wilson, one-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Joe Flacco, fan-favorite Mike White and journeyman Josh Johnson. Moore suggested his Jets experience will prevent him from taking Watson for granted. 

"I grew up in Florida and I feel like we have the mindset of kind of it doesn't matter who's back there," Moore explained. "So I kind of had to shift that a little bit because it does as far as chemistry. But man, if you put yourself in a position to throw with anybody and just put your trust in them – cause that's initially what it is. It really is trust. So if you trust them and they trust you, you can get anything done." 

Watson mostly disappointed across his first six games with the Browns following his suspension related to allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions. He is now in the early days of his first full offseason with the Browns knowing he'll be available for Week 1, and having Moore could help the 27-year-old reclaim the form that made him a three-time Pro Bowl selection while with the Houston Texans.