Packers: Why it’s time to move on from J’Mon Moore

J’Mon Moore has been a very underwhelming fourth-round draft pick for the Green Bay Packers.

When the Packers drafted J’Mon Moore with the 133rd overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, I’m sure they were expecting to get more out of him than they have been. He was the first of three receivers taken in that draft, and it was clear last season that he fell behind both of them, barely seeing the field on offense.

Meanwhile, Marquez Valdes-Scantling stepped up and Equanimeous St. Brown started becoming more of a weapon in the offense towards the end of the season.

I was hoping that he would take the next step over the offseason and come to camp ready to compete for a larger roll in the offseason. After a few weeks of practice and one preseason game, things don’t look any different. He has had trouble catching the ball. If you can’t catch the ball, you won’t be a receiver in the NFL for very long.

In last week’s preseason game, Moore had two catches for seven yards and a touchdown on a team-high four targets. But he also had two drops, including a touchdown. Drops have been a problem for Moore since last season.

James Lofton made a few comments during the telecast about what he was doing and the video showed it. He tries to basket catch passes rather than catching the ball with his hands. It feels like he just doesn’t trust his hands to make a catch so he tries to trap the ball against his body.

Since they drafted him with a fourth-round pick, there is probably some pressure to hang on to him and hope he ends up producing. The problem is, there are players on this team who are outperforming him that are not even draft picks.

We all know about “Touchdown Jesus” Jake Kumerow, who came out of nowhere last year and seems to have Aaron Rodgers‘ trust, which is important if you want to see the field in Green Bay.

Another player who is standing out to me is undrafted rookie Darrius Shepherd out of North Dakota State.

He has been reliable so far in camp and can also return the ball. I’m a firm believer in keeping players who can help you on offense or defense. Not necessarily someone who can just be used on special teams. I think that would be a waste of a spot.

Shepherd can return kicks, but I think he can also be an asset on offense. I’m not sure we can say the same about Moore. Shepherd also had a great play in the first preseason game against Houston.

Trevor Davis has also shown this camp that he can be more than a return man, but an injury in practice could be putting his job in jeopardy as well.

It’s been a while since the Packers seemed to have this much depth at receiver. I think Adams, MVS, Geronimo Allison, EQ, and Kumerow seem to be locks to make this team. That leaves J’Mon Moore, Trevor Davis, Darrius Shepard, Teo Redding, and Allen Lazard, who also had a nice touchdown catch, to compete for one or maybe two spots, depending on the number of receivers being kept.

Although it may be tough to give up on a player drafted so early, I think it may be time for the Packers to cut their losses with Moore and move on to players who can be more effective and more of an asset to the team.