Fabian Moreau’s move to the outside has helped change the Redskins defense

Earlier in the season, it looked like Fabian Moreau was potentially a lost cause for the Redskins. But since moving to the outside, he has improved significantly.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Fabian Moreau was the starting slot corner for the Redskins. And it wasn’t pretty. To start the season, Moreau had a lot of difficulty covering receivers and was consistently burned on each play. It looked like he may need a change of scenery, but in the end, all he needed was a change of position.

Tired of seeing No. 2 cornerback Josh Norman get burned constantly on the outside, the Redskins made some changes in their secondary before their Week 12 game against the Lions. They elected to start Jimmy Moreland, a training camp and preseason phenom, in the slot while moving Moreau outside. This move was expected to improve the defense a bit, as at least one of the players who was constantly getting burned would be out of the lineup.

However, the shift has had an even bigger impact than anticipated. And that’s largely because of Moreau’s play on the outside.

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In two games since moving to the No. 2 cornerback spot across from Quinton Dunbar, Moreau has been markedly better. He has made some game-changing plays by recording three interceptions, and he nearly had a fourth late against the Panthers.

Even more impressively, Moreau has allowed a passer rating below 40 when targeted in the past two weeks according to Pro Football Focus. That’s incredible, especially considering that he routinely allowed 100-plus passer ratings when in the slot (and notably, a perfect passer rating against the Jets in Week 11).

In short, it seems that the move has done Moreau well. He clearly is more comfortable on the outside and no longer looks like a lost cause. As the season progresses, he will continue to be evaluated there, but for the time being, things seem to be trending in a positive direction.

Of course, it’s worth noting that Moreau has faced Jeff Driskel and Kyle Allen at quarterback, so he’ll need to show the ability to play at a high level against better competition. Taking on Aaron Rodgers in Week 14 will be a good test for him.

Moreau’s emergence has been a massive boon for the defense. He has played a big role in the team’s last two wins and was a major part of the reason that the ‘Skins were able to hold the Panthers scoreless for nine consecutive drives last game. The team’s defense has changed for the better because of his play, and it will be interesting to see if he can keep it up.

If Moreau does continue to play well outside, the ‘Skins will be in decent shape at the outside corner position. They could still use some depth there, especially with Norman regressing and likely gone, but perhaps Moreau can be the starter across from Dunbar long-term. We’ll find out over the course of the next few weeks.