Finalized rosters across the NFL are due next Tuesday, August 26th. That leaves the Buffalo Bills with eight days to figure out what to do with one of the team’s newest wide receivers, Elijah Moore.
The former second round pick has been in the league for four years and had productive stints with the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets. He averages more than 500 yards a season with a high of 640 just two seasons ago.
Not to mention, he wasn’t cheap.
“Moore will earn $2.5 million guaranteed, including a $1.75 million base salary and a $750,000 signing bonus, with the other $2.5 million in the form of incentives,” SI wrote on an article published after his acquisition.
Now nearing the end of the 2025 training camp, some are wondering where the 25-year-old lands in this receiving room.
“In Buffalo, he finds himself in a tight battle for a spot on the roster,” writes SI’s Randy Gurzi. “He won’t unseat any of the top three players, so he finds himself battling Curtis Samuel, Tyrell Shavers, Laviska Shenault, and K.J. Hamler for one of the remaining spots.”
Gurzi then explains why the other four might have a leg up on the newcomer.
“He doesn’t have the experience or resume that Samuel possesses, the size that Shavers boasts, or the return skills of Shenault of Hamler. For that reason, he could be in danger,” Gurzi concludes.
Moore Has Been More Productive Than Hamler and Shenault
Elijah Moore has consistently been a good NFL wide receiver. While his stat line has never quite fit the billing on the high draft pick the New York Jets spent on him (which rarely happens anyway), he has always been a constant contributor on any offense he has been a part of.
The same cannot be said for Laviska Shenault and KJ Hamler.
KJ Hamler has highlight reel speed, but since being drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, he has only recorded 620 total receiving yards. He has not made a catch since Week 7 of the 2022 season.
The same can be said for Shenault. He was an exciting prospect his rookie year, recording 600+ yards in each of his first two seasons in the league. But since then he has only reeled in 42 passes in the last three seasons combined. Last season he recorded 36 yards.
Shenault’s silver lining is his shocking production on the return team. Last year Shenalut was top ten in the league in kick return yards. He had 459 return yards, highlighted by a 97 yard kick return touchdown. Gurzi is right, this alone makes him an intriguing use of a roster spot.
National Media Calls For Departure
Many times these final roster projections are left to the local media members, who might have a more nuanced knowledge of the team’s roster composition. However, in Bleacher Report’s “1 Player Each NFL Team Should Cut Before the 2025 Season”, Moore was namedropped.
“It might seem odd to declare a wide receiver for a team that isn’t exactly swimming in talent at the position a cut candidate,” BR’s Gary Davenport writes. “However, the reality is Elijah Moore won’t be making an impact for the Bills in 2025… He hasn’t impressed in camp, didn’t catch a pass in Buffalo’s first preseason game…”
“At any rate, it’s not enough money to dissuade the Bills from cutting bait on a player unlikely to contribute on offense or special teams.”
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