Chris Moore had a career year.
The former Baltimore Ravens 2016 fourth-round pick caught 48 passes for 548 yards and two touchdowns through 16 games, seven of which he started for the Houston Texans. Only in 2017 did Moore catch more touchdown passes with three.
It wasn’t like Moore was simply benefiting from the coverages receivers Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins drew; instead Moore was the No. 1 wideout for the game as both were typically injured. In Moore’s biggest game — Week 14 at the Dallas Cowboys — both Collins and Cooks were out. Moore caught 11 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown in the 27-23 loss at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Moore signed a one-year contract in the 2022 offseason worth $1.87 million. The 6-1, 200-pound wideout is no stranger to one-year deals with Houston as he signed one when joining the team in 2021.
According to Field Yates from ESPN, the Texans will re-sign Moore in the offseason.
Will they re-sign wide receiver Chris Moore? Yes. The Texans have the cap space to keep pretty much any of their free agents, and Moore should stick around. The receiver room is likely to experience plenty of change, but Moore deserves credit for the way he stepped up. The cost won’t be prohibitive, and Moore caught 48 passes for 548 yards in 2022.
Bringing back Moore would be beneficial for the receiver room as the former Cincinnati Bearcat has proven to be a reliable veteran, not just for young receivers to lean upon, but also for quarterbacks to count on when availability issues hit the receiving corps.
Houston will also need a veteran they can rely on if they decide to move on from Cooks, who may seek a trade in the offseason as he is done with rebuilds. If Houston is cultivating Collins, a healthy and recovered John Metchie, and a top-100 pick rookie into a young receiving corps, it will bring more security if Moore can be a part of that cohesion.
[listicle id=80210]