Jets Country

Xavien Howard Praises Elijah Moore After Breakout Performance: 'He's Going to be Special'

Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore received quite the complement from Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard after Miami defeated New York on Sunday.

Max Goodman

Elijah Moore had the best game of his young career on Sunday and one of the top cornerbacks in the league took notice.

Dolphins corner Xavien Howard told reporters—after Sunday's victory over the Jets—that he spoke with Moore following the final whistle.

"He’s going to be special in this league," Howard said. "He’s a smaller guy. He’s a quick guy. He made some tough catches out there. I respect his game."

Moore went off for 141 receiving yards on eight catches, exploding for a 62-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. That's the most receiving yards by a Jets rookie in a single game since 1990.

Howard wasn't the only one offering praise in a postgame presser on Sunday, though. This was a case of real recognizing real.

"I’ve been watching him for awhile," Moore told reporters after the game. "He’s a great corner, he’s a great player. And I’m going to take it and run with it if somebody special’s telling me that. Much respect."

READ: Jets’ Receiver Elijah Moore Is Starting to Catch On

Moore has scored five touchdowns in the last five games, distancing himself from a slow start. Not only did the Ole Miss product miss time during the preseason with a quad injury, but he was sidelined in Week 4 due to a concussion. 

Since Week 8, however, Moore has been locked in. He's accumulated 336 receiving yards on 24 catches in a stretch of four games, distinguishing himself as a top target on New York's lowly offense. 

"Elijah has been getting better every week. Really pumped for him," Jets head coach Robert Saleh said Sunday. "He’s starting to get into a rhythm. He had the explosive play which we all know that he is capable of. He’s stacking up days. He’s only going to get better. He’s going to be a special kid."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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