Elijah Moore is the free agency dart throw the 49ers should seriously consider taking….
The production hasn’t been there, but he’s a great fit…
Two things have already become clear with the 49ers this offseason. One, they have a lot of issues to address. Two, they aren’t prepared to spend that much money to address them.
The 49ers added to the holes on their roster when they acquiesced to Deebo Samuel’s trade request, dealing him for a fifth-round pick while taking on $31 million in dead cap.
Samuel is a receiver on the downswing, but his departure has diminished the 49ers’ depth at wideout and limited the financial flexibility while leaving them looking short at a key position, especially with Brandon Aiyuk’s status for the start of the 2025 season up in the air.
San Francisco has already met with several wide receivers in the 2025 draft class and there are options on the open market. A blockbuster move for Davante Adams would make sense in terms of giving the 49ers a separator to lessen the pressure on Aiyuk. Signing Tyler Lockett following his release by the Seattle Seahawks would provide the 49ers with a more affordable route-running savant, albeit one who appears to be on the decline.
Yet the 49ers have been open about their desire to get younger and pull things back a little in terms of their spending. If they want to achieve both those aims and save more draft capital for other positions, then there is a free agent receiver who stands out as a potentially astute addition.
Elijah Moore entered the 2021 draft projecting as a perfect fit for the 49ers’ offense as a shifty inside-out receiver with great route-running prowess and some yards after catch upside.
No surprise then, that he landed with Kyle Shanahan acolytes Robert Saleh and Mike LaFleur as a second-round pick of the New York Jets. Having requested a trade following the 2022 season, he was dealt to the Cleveland Browns in 2023, but two seasons in a toxic situation with largely futile quarterback play has done little for his career.
Now he heads to the open market as a 24-year-old free agent with just 2,162 yards to his name after four seasons.
But his age, his versatility, and the room he still clearly has to grow before he hits his prime years should make Moore very appealing to San Francisco.
If you’re looking for advanced metrics that illustrate why Moore is an enticing possible value add, you’re largely going to be disappointed. Moore’s advanced metrics from 2024 are awful, reflective of a receiver who only had two games of more than 50 yards last year but also reflective of the disastrous offense the Browns wheeled out as they continue to pay the price for their Deshaun Watson bet.
But his performance in average separation over the course of his NFL career speaks to his consistency in getting open. Average separation can be a difficult statistic to parse as it does not detail a receiver’s performance against man coverage versus his average against zone, with the latter coverage obviously more conducive to receivers enjoying the benefit of open space.
Still, Moore was tied-fifth in average separation (3.7 yards) among wideouts as recently as 2023, per NextGen Stats, and has never finished a season with an average of fewer than three yards.
And, though Moore’s flashes were limited last year, the tape from those highpoints is that of a receiver who boasts the route-running prowess to get open regularly and the skill set to thrive with a change of scenery as part of a 49er offense he still fits extremely well.
Moore’s strengths as a route-runner align with the staple timing routes of the 49er offense. He excels on comebacks and curls as well as out routes, his proficiency in this regard a product of his ability to sell vertical routes to defenders and then effortlessly change his path at the top of the route.