Redskins: Fabian Moreau needs to be ready for a big role in 2018

Fabian Moreau is coming off a decent rookie season. In 2018, he has to be ready to take on a bigger role.

This offseason, the Washington Redskins are poised to lose some big producers in their secondary. When the Alex Smith trade becomes official at the start of the new league year, Kendall Fuller will be in a Chiefs uniform. Additionally, Bashaud Breeland will be hitting the free agent market, and the team never seemed inclined to re-sign him. Josh Norman will be the lone holdover of the top corner trio, and though Quinton Dunbar is solid, the team is missing a solid third piece.

With so many needs on their roster, the Redskins may not have enough resources to go out and get a quality corner. Sure, they could opt to sign a guy like Patrick Robinson or Aaron Colvin on the free agent market, but would they be willing to invest significant resources in a guy to just man the slot? And in the draft, will they be able to get a good enough corner with slot abilities in the first two days? The answer is unknown.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding any potential upgrade at the position, the Redskins have to do the best they can to get their internal talent up to speed. While former seventh rounder Josh Holsey might get a shot at the slot, it might behoove the team to give 2017 third round pick Fabian Moreau a chance to man the position.

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Coming into the 2017 NFL Draft, Moreau was considered to be a potential first round pick before he tore his pectoral muscle at his Pro Day. He had a solid performance in the East-West Shrine game, and that is really what set fire to his draft stock. He was fast, athletic, and looked natural in coverage. The Redskins were happy to scoop him up in the third round.

As a rookie, Moreau’s major role was as a special teams player, and he had a great deal of success as a gunner, where he showed an ability to get off the line quickly, get downfield, and make tackles. Those types of instincts fit the profile of a good outside corner or a potential slot man. So, the Redskins will have to continue to work with him and get him a chance for more reps.

This offseason, the main focus of defensive backs coach Torrian Gray should be to develop Moreau. He could end up being the second best corner on the team, behind Norman, if he can make the leap like Fuller did between his second and third seasons. Moreau may not be as good as Fuller, but he certainly looks the part and should be a key part of the minor rebuild in the secondary.

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In the wake of the Alex Smith trade, the door is open for Moreau. He has to take advantage of this opportunity and try to lock down a top three spot. If he can do that, then he will have a chance to become a very good starter down the line and make a big impact on the Washington defense.

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