Moore Than Enough?

PHILADELPHIA — A late-practice situational scenario on Monday gave the Eagles’ offense, trailing by eight points and without any timeouts to spare, 52 seconds to reach the end zone.

Only seconds remained as they drove the ball into the red zone.

On the final snap, quarterback Jalen Hurts scanned the defense in search of an open receiver. His eyes appeared to initially gravitate toward wide receiver Darius Cooper, who slipped in the end zone before quickly regrouping and working to uncover. The play extended well beyond what’s considered standard, with Hurts maneuvering the pocket and eventually delivering an across-body missile in the middle of the end zone to a leaping Elijah Moore.

The catch capped what had been another productive practice for the sixth-year veteran, who is in the hunt for a roster spot. And through nine practices, Moore appears to be off to a strong start.

The connections between the quarterback and wide receiver this summer have been more efficient than explosive, but the budding chemistry between Hurts and Moore has been impossible to ignore.

That rapport, as Hurts will tell you, is derived from time on task.

Hamstring injuries have sidelined fellow wideouts DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon for five successive practices, increasing Moore’s opportunities with the first unit. The Ole Miss product has been a popular target in the intermediary levels of the field, whether settling into the soft spot in coverage or fending off coverage to make the tough catch.

ITB PHOTO/ANDREW DICECCO: Can vet free agent WR Elijah Moore do enough to make the 53?

The timing between Hurts and Moore also happens to be on schedule, as the latter approaches his most important stretch of the summer.

Moore’s winding NFL journey began five years ago, as a highly-touted second-round pick. His first stint, with the New York Jets, lasted only two seasons, before an offseason trade sent him to Cleveland. With the Browns, Moore had the most productive stretch of his career, totaling 1,178 yards and 120 receptions over a two-year period.

He signed with the Buffalo Bills last spring as a free agent, but Moore’s fifth NFL season ended as a member of the Denver Broncos’ practice squad.

The path that’s led him to Philadelphia has proven to be anything but conventional. But Moore, a one-time top-50 pick, offered a different perspective.

“I think that life is not a linear path,” he said. “You know, I think for any person. I think there’s rarely, even some of the top players that get picked, that it goes exactly the way they want it. And I think that’s there to teach you lessons. I got kids, man. I got things I got to teach them outside of just having everything go my way.

“What example would I set if everything went my way? I wouldn’t have nothing to tell, you know? So, I think it’s just brushing myself off, always having high hopes. I believe in the Lord and it’s continuing to push. I think that’s what always keeps me motivated whatever situation I’m in, just have high hopes. I put the work in, you know, anything else outside of that just takes care of itself.”

To make the Eagles’ 53-man roster, Moore must clear some hurdles. As a depth receiver, where offensive involvement is limited, providing value elsewhere becomes essential. The numbers game is out of Moore’s control, but Moore can increase his roster chances by proving capable on special teams. And there’s a specific role he could potentially serve.

When the Eagles have dispatched their punt returners during special teams periods, Moore has been part of that group. Apart from his college days with the Rebels, and the rare exception of a couple of games with the Browns, Moore hasn’t been asked to do much punt return or special teams work. In 70 career games, Moore has totaled just 19 third phase snaps.

Still, he’s not viewing that inexperience as a deterrent.

“Wherever they need me, I want to be able to be available for that,” he said.

As a receiver, Moore seems to be gelling nicely with the new Eagles offense. His quickness in and out of breaks and savvy route-running has made him a friendly target, and his knack for finding openings have revealed an effective chain-mover.

Outside of one miscommunication last week in the Eagles’ practice bubble – when Moore ran the wrong route, leading to a Hurts interception – Moore has been one of the Eagles’ more consistent pass catchers.

Don’t tell that to Moore, though. He’s aiming for perfection.

“I’m super critical of myself, so I always think that there’s so much improvement that I could do with my alignment, my assignment, hearing the play, execution,” he said. “But am I making the most of my opportunities? Yeah. But is there still opportunities that I’m leaving out there? Yeah. You know what I’m saying?

“I always want to be as perfect as I can. Especially since I’ve been in this offense before, knowing the nuances and some of the details. It’s more about fine-tuning it, making sure I could be as perfect as possible.”

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is the Eagles beat reporter for InsideTheBirds.com.