WR Elijah Moore (7.27.23)
How are you enjoying life on the outside these days?
“Yes, I got a tan. I look good. I feel good.”
I mean, lining up outside?
“Oh outside?”
Yeah, with (Amari) Cooper out, you’ve been running a lot of routes from outside?
“Yeah, both, man. I feel like being available to be in both, like what the coach has allowed me to do is only going to open up the offense and I feel good about it.”
Elijah, everybody has just raved about what you bring to this offense, versatility and everything. How good does that feel when teammates, coaches – it really doesn’t matter who – when they’re talking about you, are talking in such glowing terms?
“It feels good. It feels good to be wanted like I said before. And I feel that every single day I’m on the field and in the building, ever since I got here. So I can’t do anything but thank God. Like I said before, it’s a true blessing.”
Coach has you lining up everywhere, even in the backfield, just that versatility, where does it come from and how excited are you that it really feels like coach plans to exploit that and use you this year?
“I’m super excited. I feel like growing up in Florida, I was talking about this with a couple of players yesterday – we don’t coach to play slot outside or inside. You coach to play receiver. So it doesn’t really matter where I’m lined up. I feel like I’m kind of comfortable wherever they need me to be and just whatever it is that they need me to do, I’m going to work my hardest to get it done. Even if I’m not good at it now, I’m going to keep working every single day to get better at it to where it becomes one of my favorite things to do.”
I know it’s early, but Amari being out, Marquise(Goodwin) obviously being out, how much more does that put on you to kind of elevate even more than you already are?
“When leaders like Coop and ‘Quise are out, somebody has to step up. And I feel like the whole group, not just me, is doing that. We’re all being detailed. We’re all talking to each other. We’re all coaching each other up like they were out there helping us as well. I feel like either way, you can’t blink. You have to keep stepping.”
The touchdown you had in the red zone drill, you got a piece of Denzel (Ward) off the line and then made a really good catch. The ball is coming in pretty hard. Is that kind of what you do? Does that feature a couple of things that you do?
“Yeah, I mean, double moves. I get really excited and then going against a good corner like him, I’m going to get better and he’s going to get better, too. So, matchups like that, I get excited just like I feel like everybody does. They see that out there, it only brings more attention to – okay, I want to go next. You see what I’m saying. It’s just contagious.”
So the trade, you’re feeling great about it?
“Excuse me?”
The whole trade and the relocation?
“Yes, sir. Yeah, that’s the only way it is.”
It looks like you and Deshaun (Watson) have a pretty solid camaraderie on the field so far. How have you been able to establish such a strong connection this early on in the process?
“We’re day by day. We didn’t play a game yet. You see what I’m saying? We’re just practicing out here. We’re doing our one percent. Like he always says, the work is going to come first, so we’re just focused on that. The connection is going to build as days go on. We’re going to have our days where it’s not going to have our days where it is, but we’re going to try to have more days where it is than it’s not.”
We see so many times where he’s throwing to a spot and he’s trusting that you and your teammates are going to be in that spot. Obviously, that’s not an easy thing to do, but just the chemistry that it takes to execute that so flawlessly.
” Just kind of being on the same page as him going in the rooms behind us, behind the scenes and seeing how he’s thinking. As long as I get on the same page with him, it’s going to be magic out there.”
Have you ever spent as much time in the backfield like you are in this offseason and now training camp?
“A little bit in college, but not in the league. I’m super excited. I’m embracing it. Whatever they need me to do, I’m going to try my best to get it done. I’m trying to execute.”
Does that give you an advantage running around out of the backfield?
“Yeah, I feel like it’s me versus back. Who y’all got? I got me. You know what I’m saying?”
Elijah, coming into a room where DPJ (Donovan Peoples-Jones) is one of the returners. What’s it been like getting to see what he can do? How do you think your skills mesh in that receiver room?
“I feel like we’re all different, and when you have all different people, that’s good because you all bring something to the table that one doesn’t do. I feel like when you have that aspect of the game, we’re all constantly learning from each other. It’s another great thing about our group. So I’m grateful.”
What’s it been like getting to know him in particular since he’s pretty quiet on and off the field?
“He’s quiet probably with everybody else, but with us, with his brothers, he talks, he says what he needs, he jokes around, he dances a lot. I’m saying he has a great personality.”
Was it nice to see Anthony Schwartz back out there today?
“Yeah. Speed, we need it. He’s working his way into it. Just glad to see him back out there smiling.”
What do you see from Cedric Tillman?
“Smart player. Of course we all – as a rookie – we all have the things we need to work on. Super talented, a big physical dude, and he’s going to do some great things for us.”
So you have Watson firing the ball here. We know what you have there. Is it a big difference?
“I can let you all answer that question.”
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