Did Redskins cornerback Fabian Moreau hit a turning point vs. Lions?

With the Redskins chances of competing for a playoff bid all but gone, the rest of the 2019 season will be devoted to player development.

The Washington Redskins have a young core with some promise, and they’ll have an opportunity to execute a soft rebuild, at the very least, in the offseason of 2020. But before they can do that, they’ll need to self-evaluate, and decide who they want to keep as they transition into the next era.

For a long while in 2019, third-year cornerback Fabian Moreau was in the “don’t keep” section. Moreau was one of the lowest-rated cornerbacks in the NFL on Pro Football Focus heading into Week 12, and he was consistently subpar in the slot.

Against the Detroit Lions, however, something changed for the UCLA product. Moreau was sticky in coverage, logging two pass deflections and two interceptions, including a victory-sealing pick on the final play of the game. He allowed a few passes here and there, but his momentum-shifting plays on the ball punctuated his prolific performance.

Moreau’s game against Detroit might have been the best showing of his young career, but since the Redskins are in the process of evaluating their needs for next year, they need to ask themselves this question, and be thorough in their deliberations: Was this a turning point for Moreau, or just a blip in an otherwise mediocre career?

Moreau has always possessed the potential to be one of the league’s better cornerbacks. He was a stellar height-weight-speed prospect in the 2017 NFL Draft, possessing a stocky 6-foot-0, 204-pound frame, 4.35 speed, and an explosive 38-inch vertical jump. He came into the league with the traits, as well as the ball production in his college years.

Despite his positive affinities, coaching and positioning have impeded Moreau’s NFL progress thus far. In 2017, he played sixteen games, primarily as a reserve cornerback and a special teams contributor. He flexed in and out of a starting role in 2018, logging one interception, five pass deflections, and three forced fumbles, and so far this year, he’s manned the slot to little avail, with Josh Norman and Quinton Dunbar on the boundaries.

Against the Lions, due to Norman’s benching, Moreau moved back to the boundary, where he’d played at UCLA, and he thrived. Should Moreau stay on the boundary for the Redskins next game, and could this be the move that helps him get the most out of his athletic potential? What do you think?