Redskins Rookie Review – Morgan Moses
Aug 7, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins offensive tackle Morgan Moses (76) prepares to block New England Patriots defensive lineman Zach Moore (71) at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Redskins are in a similar situation this offseason as they were last season in regards to their offensive line. Right tackle Tyler Polumbus and right guard Chris Chester had sub par seasons in 2013, and the Redskins made it a point to add more talent to their offensive line for the 2014 season.
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The Redskins signed guard Shawn Lauvao in free agency and then used two third round picks on offensive linemen. The first was on offensive tackle Morgan Moses, the other was guard Spencer Long. I had targeted Moses as a player the Redskins might take in the 2014 draft, but I had him going to them in the second round.
Moses had been highly rated coming in to the draft as possibly a first or second round pick, but he lasted until the third. Moses looked good in the preseason for the Redskins, but the brain trust still went with Polumbus as the starter at right tackle and Tom Compton as the primary backup.
I think this is primarily one of the reasons why Chris Foerster is no longer the Redskins offensive line coach. Because seeing as how the season turned out and how Polumbus and Compton performed, Morgan Moses should have been starting from the very beginning of the season.
According to Pro Football Focus, Tyler Polumbus ranked 62nd in the league among offensive tackle and Tom Compton ranked 68th. Those are terrible ratings. Morgan Moses didn’t have enough total plays to be ranked among the league leaders, but his team ranking was higher than both Polumbus and Compton.
Chris Foerster’s reluctance to play rookies because they weren’t clearly out-performing the veterans in practice may show loyalty to the vets, but in the end it hurt the team. Why show loyalty to the veterans when they aren’t getting the job don in the games? Polumbus was eventually benched, but then was replaced by Tom Compton who ended playing worse than Polumbus had.
Moses finally got a chance to play in week 11 as he stepped in at left tackle in place of an injured Trent Williams against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Moses did great job, especially in pass protection. He made his first start in week 12 and didn’t fair as well against the San Francisco 49ers. So when Williams returned it was back to the bench for Moses.
He ended up having a Lisfranc injury late in the season, and that recovery will take up most of the offseason. So the Redskins are in a situation where they didn’t fins out enough about Morgan Moses during the season when they had the chance and now they still have a question mark at right tackle.
Things Morgan Moses does Well:
- At 6’6 318, has Prototypical size
- Has good agility for such a big man
- Is a solid run blocker, and gets to the next level well.
Things Morgan Moses Needs to Improve:
- Needs to get lower to maintain leverage.
- Needs to get arms extended better to keep pass rushers from getting into his body.
- At times is too upright and gets pushed into the pocket.
Expectations Heading into 2015:
It’s expected that Morgan Moses will compete for the right tackle spot in 2015. The Redskins will probably draft another tackle or sign one in free agency to add to the competition with Moses and Tom Compton. However, Moses is recovering from the Lisfranc injury, so he probably won’t be ready until training camp.