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.

Moore can stop on a dime and work back to the ball extremely well, but also boasts the fluidity to change direction without decelerating dramatically, helping him create separation on out routes and in-breakers.

The first clip in the below tweet is a great example of how Moore’s smoothness at the top of his routes aids his fit in a 49er attack that feasts on zone coverage. Moore is able to break off his route at exactly the right depth versus zone to give himself a huge void to run into and, had Jameis Winston delivered a better ball, Moore would have likely gained significant yards after the catch.

Moore’s strengths don’t just align with what Kyle Shanahan has traditionally asked of his receivers, they also align with the challenges the offense is now being presented with by opposing defenses, namely a hugely increased rate of man coverage.

Though he has not established himself as a receiver who can consistently shred man coverage, Moore’s change of direction upside gives him the potential to do so.

This explosive play against the Denver Broncos is a perfect example. Moore stems outside to create the leverage to break back towards the middle of the field. Already with a clear step on the man defender, he then fluidly changes direction back towards the deep corner. With an accurate ball from Winston, it’s probably a touchdown.

There are questions to be asked of Moore. At 5ft 10in and 180 pounds, can he get off press coverage? Why has his overall production been so disappointing? Is that purely an issue of team situation? Now back with the 49ers, Saleh will be able to provide insight as to what happened in New York to inform a decision on signing him.

But, rather than paying up for an ageing Adams or backing Lockett to fight against the dying light of his career, Moore is the type of young player smart teams bet on in free agency. He’s still some way from his prime and will likely come cheap, perhaps freeing the 49ers up to make aggressive plays on defense for the likes of Joey Bosa and Jonathan Allen.

Even with the Samuel dead cap hit, the 49ers’ cap situation is not as dire as many would have you believe, but a low-risk, high-reward move like signing Moore is the type of deal they should be looking to do to improve their roster without sacrificing room for maneuver. Saleh ensured the 49ers did not have a chance to draft Moore in the second round in 2021. Four years later, it would be a smart play to try to help him realize his obvious potential.