Going into the 2025 regular season, the New York Jets knew they had big questions surrounding their safety room.
Outside of fourth-round rookie Malachi Moore, the Jets did not have a single player signed past the 2025 regular season. Andre Cisco and Tony Adams were penciled in starters, but neither instilled confidence from the fanbase – especially after two struggling games to open the year.
When Adams suffered an injury in the Jets’ loss to Buffalo, though, it forced the Jets to rely on the rookie in Moore for his first career start.
Despite losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Moore’s first start was a resounding success in the eyes of New York’s coaching staff.
Moore gets vote of confidence
Moore recorded four tackles in the organization’s 29-27 loss to the Bucs last week.
While his mediocre Pro Football Focus grade isn’t anything to write home about, the Jets still like what they saw from the rookie.
“I think he did a pretty good job last week,” head coach Aaron Glenn said of Moore on Saturday. “There’s always room for improvement, he’s a rookie & he made some rookie mistakes, but he’s gonna be a damn good player for us & I’m looking forward to the way he progresses as these weeks go by.”
With Adams set to return from his hip injury, though, the Jets are in a difficult spot.
Do they allow the rookie safety to continue in the starting lineup? Or do they go with the veteran option?
In Glenn’s mindset, though, it’s not about whether or not Moore will stay in the starting lineup. It’s about making sure he’s ready to go in any role moving forward for the Jets.
“There won’t be a week that we go in where he doesn’t have a role,” Glenn said. “We have a plan for all of our guys and it’s our job to make sure when those guys play.”
The Jets were thrilled to draft Moore back in April. They believe his work as a defensive star on Alabama will translate well to the NFL level, either in his rookie campaign, or beyond.
It may not be determined whether or not Moore will remain a starter, but his performance against Tampa at least confirms he’ll have a role on the defense moving forward.