Cincinnati Bengals: Grading Denarius Moore Signing

The Cincinnati Bengals have their top trio of wide receiver more or less locked in with Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones following behind A.J. Green in some order, but WR has been seen as a position of need for a team that doesn’t have much behind those three. Even though Jones isn’t a star player by any means, his season-ending injury, as well as TE Tyler Eifert‘s, last season was a pretty crushing blow for the Andy Dalton-led Bengals offense.

More depth was needed at the wide receiver position, and while this latest signing most likely isn’t enough to prevent the Bengals from strongly looking at the position in the middle rounds of the draft, bringing in Denarius Moore does at least help the cause.

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According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Moore’s deal is unsurprisingly of the one-year variety, so the only mildly surprising thing about this deal is the fact that Moore has signed somewhere sooner than either Michael Crabtree or Greg Jennings, who are the top receivers on the open market.

Of course, neither Crabtree nor Jennings would have made any sense for the Bengals despite the fact that they are better receivers, and that’s because they don’t need a veteran possession receiver. See, Moore at least brings something different to the table for this team, because he is a straight-line burner who was once one of the league’s more promising deep threats.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Moore’s most promising season came under current Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, which is a link Schefter did not hesitate to note in his tweet breaking the news. It’s a rather important link, because Moore averaged a whopping 18.7 yards per reception with five touchdowns on just 33 receptions.

After Jackson left, Moore’s numbers climbed up to career-highs with 51 catches for 741 yards and seven touchdowns, but he averaged just 6.5 yards per target on those 114 targets, per Advanced Football Analytics. On the strength of a 53.5% catch rate that was the first above-50% mark of his career, Moore got himself back to an average of 8.1 yards per target in 2013 despite a handful of drops (per Pro Football Focus). His counting stats were down to a 46-695-5 line, but he had a more efficient season.

Last year, though, Moore became a total afterthought in a Raiders offense that was designed to baby Derek Carr, as Greg Olson played the role of overprotective parent. Moore’s inconsistency issues had more to do with the fact that he played in just eight games and caught 12 passes, as he was ineffective when he was sparingly utilized. It was a huge down year for Moore, who was on the trading block before the season even started.

An easy departure in unrestricted free agency, Moore took nearly a month to find a job but is probably in a better position. Dalton isn’t much of a quarterback, but the Bengals entire offense is much more stable. With Green operating as a true No. 1 receiver and solid talent around him (when everyone is healthy), there’s no pressure on Moore to succeed, as he’ll be fighting for the No. 4 gig. When considering Eifert, he’d be the No. 5 option in the passing game, and, when considering Giovani Bernard, he’ll likely end up being sixth on the pecking order as far as targets go.

But because Moore is an inconsistent receiver who doesn’t have the hands or route-running chops to function as anything more than a situational deep threat, the targets don’t matter. With less pressure on him, he should have more room to spring loose, especially since the Cincinnati Bengals running game is infinitely better than the Raiders ground attack he worked with for four seasons. Instead of Darren McFadden, he’ll get to benefit from the elite RB tandem of Jeremy Hill and Bernard, and the Bengals run-heavy approach can help set up some occasional deep chucks for Moore.

Oct 26, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Denarius Moore (17) makes a catch against the Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden (23) during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won 23-13. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports

Jackson is one of the most well-regarded offensive coordinators in the game, so it will be interesting to see what he does with a familiar speedster. Nothing is expected of Moore, as he’s coming in on a one-year deal that might not include any guaranteed money.

He’s no lock to make the roster, especially since the Bengals could always decide to pluck a mid-round receiver to take his spot.

That said, Denarius Moore comes in as someone who can easily average 15 yards per reception, so if he can stay healthy and motivated, then he could be an asset as a seldomly-targeted deep threat whose main job is to run clear-out routes.

I like this signing, simply because he’s different from what this team has at the position and Jackson knows him.

The problem, of course, is that Moore drops passes and has a playing style conducive to catch rates below 50%, so he’s not the kind of receiver Dalton can easily get involved. Dalton is a subpar deep passer, but Moore still works as a depth/potential signing.

If the Bengals want a receiver who is better at getting open, they can look to the draft. Otherwise, they have Green, Jones, Eifert, and Bernard in the building as players who can win in the short and intermediate areas. Is he an ideal fit? No. But is he worth the flier? Yes.

Final Grade: B-

Next: Should the Bengals target Bud Dupree?

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