The Cleveland Browns sat Elijah Moore for the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals due to a disciplinary issue.
Moore entered the game with 16 catches for 95 yards but was expected to take on a larger role with Amari Cooper no longer with the team. The Browns traded Cooper — their No. 1 pass-catcher — to the Buffalo Bills this week.
But instead, Moore watched the start of the game from the sideline due to a disciplinary issue. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski declined to reveal the reason for Moore’s benching.
“I’ll keep that stuff internal,” Stefanski told reporters.
Moore had one of his better games of the season, finishing with six catches for 41 yards. The Browns cycled through three different quarterbacks in the matchup. Deshaun Watson exited on a cart at the end of the first half. Dorian Thompson-Robinson entered in relief but suffered a finger injury. Veteran passer Jameis Winston finished the matchup.
Earlier this season, Moore’s dad complained on social media about the lack of targets going his son’s way.
“1 target the entire game? Make it make sense 95% open all the time. SMH,” Sean Moore wrote on X.
Cedric Tillman Steps Up for Browns
The Browns offense struggled again against the Bengals but a bright spot was the performance of second-year receiver Cedric Tillman. He hauled in a career-high eight of 12 targets for 81 yards.
Tight end David Njoku also had a solid performance, adding 10 catches for 81 yards and a late touchdown.
Jerry Jeudy was projected to take over the No. 1 wide receiver role with Cooper out of the picture. He had just one catch for 18 yards and had some notably bad body language throughout the game. The Browns traded for Jeudy this offseason and quickly inked him to a three-year extension up to $58 million.
Still, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski knows he needs more from his offense and the team as a whole.
“Come here to try to get a win vs. a divisional opponent. … It’s frustrating,” Stefanski said after the loss. “We have to eliminate some bad football that is holding us back, and when we do that, we’ll have a chance.”
Nick Chubb Provides Spark for Browns
While Watson’s injury and the reaction to it were polarizing moments, Nick Chubb elicited the exact opposite emotions during his first game back in over a year.
Chubb debuted following a devastating knee injury he suffered in Week 2 of last season against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It required two surgeries and relentless rehab to get back on the field and the four-time Pro Bowler looked sharp in his return.
Chubb notched 22 yards and plunged in for a touchdown late in the first half. He had a team-high 11 carries but played sparingly in the second half. It was by design, per Stefanski.
“No setbacks. Just always trying to be smart with him. Want to make sure that we don’t put him in a bad spot. He came out of this thing good,” Stefanski said. “He’ll be ready to roll.”
The Browns fell to 1-6 with the loss and face the Baltimore Ravens next week.
J.R. DeGroote covers the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com. He graduated from Arizona State and has decades of experience in digital media with previous stops at SBNation and Bleacher Report. He has won multiple state, regional and national honors for sports reporting and photography. More about J.R. DeGroote
