CINCINNATI — Malachi Moore was an 11-year-old quarterback when Joe Flacco won the Super Bowl with the Ravens after the 2012 season. Now, Moore will be trying to intercept Flacco’s passes.
Moore, a fourth-round pick this spring, moved into the starting lineup for the Jets two weeks ago at safety. He has played well and now he sees one of the quarterbacks he watched growing up.
“It’s crazy,” Moore said. “I was a quarterback in little league at the time and I used to watch Joe Flacco highlights with the Ravens. Playing against him is kind of crazy to see how long he’s been playing.”
Moore, 24, has made a nice transition to the NFL from Alabama. He has helped steady a Jets defense that was shaky through the first five games.
“I think it’s been going smooth,” Moore said. “I feel like the more reps that I get, the more comfortable I become and the game is starting to like slow down for me.”
Moore will be part of the Jets’ plan to slow down Bengals star receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
“They’re playmakers,” Moore said. “They trust them to make plays whether they’re covered or they create separation. Those two guys are definitely a huge part of their offense.”
Jets coach Aaron Glenn has liked what he’s seen from Moore early in his career.
“Malachi Moore, he’s a guy that we identified in the draft that can do a number of things,” Glenn said. “He can play safety, he can play nickel. I’ve said this before, he reminds me of a guy, Brian Branch, that I had, and you see those traits on the field. You see the play that he made on the deep ball which was a critical play for us and he has the ability to be able to do that. I’m proud of where he’s at. He’s still an ascending player for us.”
The Jets activated LB Quincy Williams off of injured reserve for Sunday’s game.
They placed WR Josh Reynolds (hip) and LB Cam Jones (hip) on IR, meaning they will miss at least four games.
They signed WR Brandon Smith to the active roster. They elevated QB Brady Cook and DL Payton Page from the practice squad. … G John Simpson was fined $11,593 for a facemask penalty against the Panthers.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
