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Jets rookie safety Malachi Moore made a lasting impression in his first preseason.
Entering the 2025-26 season, the New York Jets have an excitement about them. Part of that stems from a regime at head coach and general manager. Some of the players Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn added are also worthy of significant buzz.
One of them is coming out of nowhere with Week 1 arriving. Day 3 draft pick, safety Malachi Moore, received a noteworthy honor ahead of the regular season kicking off.
In a September 1 story for CBS Sports, Chris Trapasso released his All-Rookie Team. Moore was one of three defensive backs to make the cut, joining Keyon Martin of the Baltimore Ravens and Eric Rogers of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Malachi Moore Receives All-Rookie Team Prediction
Trapasso believes Moore’s background and preseason performance put him in a good position to succeed.
“Moore was a glue-guy in the Alabama secondary, and looked the part for the Jets in August,” Trapasso wrote. “On 85 snaps, he made 10 tackles, and was only targeted once, allowing a single catch for three yards. He was well-positioned on the back end at safety in Aaron Glenn’s defense.”
It’s virtually impossible to disagree with that logic. Moore was downright excellent in the last few weeks of play. In addition to his tackle production that ranked second on the team, the fourth-round pick notched a pass broken up and a tackle for loss. He was everywhere on the field. That’s without mentioning the tremendous interception he secured against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Advanced stats also loved Moore’s production. According to Pro Football Focus, he posted a sparkling 84.2 overall grade. That was complemented by tremendous marks for run defense (82.3) and coverage (78.4). Among all safeties with 50-plus snaps played, those respective grades ranked sixth, third and eighth.
That’s some serious production in just a few games.
Moore & Jets Head Coach Aaron Glenn Excited for 2025-26 Season
Ahead of year one, Moore said he’s willing to do whatever it takes for the Jets to win. That includes special teams, which could factor into his playing time.
“Definitely,” Moore said. “Anything to help the team win. Special teams, I kind of look at it as the dirty work. Somebody has to do the dirty work in order for the team to succeed. Whatever it takes for the team.”
Speaking to the media following the aforementioned Eagles game, Glenn raved about his rookie defensive back.
“I’ll tell you what: He made a couple of hits today that were pretty impressive,” Glenn said. “But I’m not surprised. Those are things that we saw of him in college. All the people I talked to that know that player — including the safety in Detroit, [Brian] Branch — talked about him. Nothing surprised me about that player. He’s steadily improving.”
If anyone knows about identifying good DB play, it’s Glenn. He has requisite experience both as a player and coach. Many of those successful playing years came with New York back in the late 1990s and into the very early 2000s.
Glenn is doubling — perhaps tripling — down on his praise for Moore.
“Again, it didn’t surprise me,” Glenn said. “I expect that from him. He’s going to be a damn good player in this league. I said that once we drafted him [and] I said that all through training camp. I just look forward to seeing him improve throughout the season.”
After an awesome five-year career at Alabama, Moore has seen and done just about everything. Up next will be carving out reps in a safety room that also includes Tony Adams and Andre Cisco. The latter is a wild card that could swing percentages.
Either way, it seems that the Jets’ decision to trade up for Moore might just pan out.
Jordan Foote is a seasoned sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com with an emphasis on the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. He has years of experience publishing NFL and MLB content for Sports Illustrated’s On SI vertical, in addition to a background in NBA coverage for multiple outlets. Foote is a Baker University alumnus, earning his degree in Mass Media. He’s based in Kansas City. More about Jordan Foote
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