BEREA — Greg Newsome II knows the stress it puts on him when Elijah Moore lines up in the backfield. And the Browns cornerback only has to line up against him in practice.

Newsome can only imagine what the Browns' new jack-of-all-trades receiver is going to do once he gets unleashed on opposing defenses this season.

"Man, it's crazy," Newsome said after Sunday's practice. "I see him in the backfield sometimes, but sometimes I'm supposed to be to the field. Sometimes I got to guard him in the backfield. Sometimes he'll take a handoff, sometimes he'll motion out. It's just so much that he can do, and its definitely hard for us. But, I mean, I don't have to play against him in the games, so it’s going to be hard for the other team."

That's the point. Or, at least, the plan.

The Browns acquired Moore from the New York Jets in March with the goal of adding a playmaker to their receiving corps. What they've received is just that, which has allowed Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt to get creative in finding ways to put the 2021 second-round pick to use.

Among those creative ways has been lining him up in the backfield as a running back.

"I mean, the first day I got here, they kind of was showing me what they had a feel for," Moore said Sunday, his first full practice back since Aug. 9, "and then I feel like as soon as they seen me practice and see what I got to do, they was just experimenting and seeing what I could do. So, yeah, I mean, I kind of knew. I just didn't know it was going to be maybe as much or as little. I guess it's by game plan."

On the very first offensive snap for Moore in the Browns preseason game against Washington, he initially lined up at running back before shifting out to a receiver in a five-receiver set. He still got the ball in his hands on the play in the form of a 6-yard pass.

Two plays later, Moore lined up again in the backfield, and this time he got his hands on the ball. He ran 18 yards on the play, setting the Browns up at the Commanders 43.

"I mean, it's really super fun," said Moore, who injured his ribs on the first play, which caused him to sit out last Monday's joint practice in Philadelphia before returning for individual work Tuesday against the Eagles. "I feel like there's a lot that I can do. I'm grateful that I'm being able to have the opportunity to do it, so I can't do nothing but thank God I'm in this position."

The reality is Moore hasn't been put in that specific position often over the last several years. In his two seasons with the Jets, despite 10 rushing attempts for 59 yards and a score, he only lined up in the backfield on three out of 1,205 offensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Moore has to go back to his final season in college at Ole Miss in 2020 while playing for Lane Kiffin to find double-digit plays on which he did so. He lined up 22 times as a running back and four more times as a wildcat quarterback over 630 offensive snaps, rushing 14 times for 64 yards.

Other than that one year with the Rebels, Moore admitted he has to go a long way back in time to find a moment when he was utilized so much out of the backfield. As in, all the way back to playing youth football in Davie, Fla.

"Some of my other teammates always joke with me and be like, ‘You back at Davie,’" Moore said. "That was my Little League town. So, yeah, man, it always feels good to do more than just what is expected for me to do."

Don't think that Nick Chubb suddenly has reason to worry about losing his job to Moore. Or even necessarily a bunch of carries.

Still, the Browns are doing a good job of making everyone aware of the potential of Moore coming out of the backfield. That, in and of itself, is half the battle in terms of giving opposing defenses something to think about while preparing to play them.

"I think there's really just no shortage of what you can do," Stefanski said. "I say that just because of the skill set and because of the intelligence. So, like you mentioned, with the lining him up in the backfield, hadn't done a ton of that. But just if you think about the person and think about the player and what he's able to handle, we just felt like it'd be something that he can do. Not to say that we will do it every game, or maybe he'll be there all 50 plays in one game."

For Moore, there's one reason why he's bought into the somewhat new opportunity he has to line up in the backfield.

"I just love football, and I feel like if you love football you'll learn to be good at whatever they need you to do, especially at this level," Moore said. "There's a lot of good players in the league. You’ve got to have respect for that, too.

"So whatever they need me to get done, I love it. So I think I can get it done."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Elijah Moore enjoys chance to line up in Browns backfield as receiver