The Buffalo Bills were very thin at wide receiver in the 2024 season, and the signing of Josh Palmer, in a vacuum, is not going to be enough to turn this around. The Bills decided to take a chance on former Jets second-round pick and Cleveland Browns wideout Elijah Moore, hoping the Josh Allen effect would kick-start his pro career.
Through the first few weeks of practice and the opening preseason salvo, Moore looks like the same sizzling product without substance to back it up that both New York and Cleveland saw.
Moore struggled in the Bills' preseason loss to the New York Giants, failing to record a catch. Meanwhile, 2023 undrafted free agent Tyrell Shavers used his 6-4 frame to great effect by reeling in a big play downfield, continuing what has been a very strong training camp and preseason.
Every strong day Shavers puts together makes it more difficult for the Bills not to keep him on the final roster. With both Moore and Curtis Samuel failing to impress due to either injuries or poor play, it seems more likely than ever before that Buffalo cuts a talented veteran in favor of Shavers.
Elijah Moore may struggle to make finals Bills 53-man roster
The Bills weren't off base in assuming that Moore would thrive with Allen, as Moore has played primarily with Zach Wilson, post-suspension Deshaun Watson, and Joe Flacco as his quarterbacks during two seasons with the Jets and two more with the Browns.
Moore has always possessed great speed, and his separation skills on shorter routes remain a valuable asset, but he lacks the well-rounded game that a player his size needs to have in order to demand a plurality of targets. Moore has never topped 700 yards receiving in any of his four NFL campaigns so far.
The starting trio of Palmer, the recently extended Khalil Shakir, and 2024 No. 33 pick Keon Coleman seems to be set in stone. Moore might be able to earn a role as enticing as the WR4 job, but there's an equally viable world where names like Samuel and Shavers push him further down the depth chart.
The preseason still has a few more weeks to go, but Moore will have to dig his way out of a hole that he likely didn't expect to find himself in. The Bills are begging for a player like Moore to set them apart in a crowded AFC, and he doesn't appear capable of doing that.