Former Washington Football Team OT Morgan Moses signs with Jets

One of the Washington Football Team’s longest-tenured offensive players of the past decade will resume his career with another team.

Even after the Washington Football Team signed Charles Leno Jr. and drafted second-round offensive tackle Samuel Cosmi, it was still a surprise when veteran bookend Morgan Moses was released. Five days after Washington signed Leno from the Bears, it was announced that Moses would be let go, after trade talks dried up.

The decision to release Moses saved $7.75 million in cap space, but aside from that, it remains difficult to see what it truly accomplished. The Washington Football Team, at the very least, had the flexibility to make such a move. Leno is a competent starter, and Cornelius Lucas, who has the flexibility to play both sides, also played well last year.

Still, there’s an air of uncertainty regarding the WFT-Morgan Moses saga. One has to wonder if releasing him was the right call. He was a very economical starting option, who played well in 2020. But that ship has sailed. The Washington Football Team has moved on from Moses, and now must seek to adequately succeed him. Moses, meanwhile, has officially found his new home.

According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, who corroborated the information from NFL Network, the New York Jets have signed Morgan Moses to a one-year deal. The deal contains a base salary of $3.6 million, and can be worth up to $5.3 million with incentives.

For the Jets, getting Moses this late in the offseason is a big steal, at least on paper. Moses did allow five sacks in 2020, and he also committed six penalties. However, from an execution perspective, he was largely solid. He helped put together one of the better lines in the league — a line that helped Antonio Gibson produce in year one, and helped Washington earn a division title.

Moses immediately becomes the top candidate to start for the Jets at right tackle, opposite from last year’s first-round pick, Mekhi Becton, who’s quickly developing into one of the more imposing blindside blockers in the game. Moses will likely replace fellow veteran George Fant, who gives New York impressive depth.

Shoring up the tackle position is all the more important for the Jets, who have a rookie quarterback to protect this season. The Jets selected Zach Wilson with the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, making him the franchise signal caller under the new regime of Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas. Wilson’s high-octane play style will undoubtedly lead to some ups and downs, but having a strong blocking unit can help with that.

With Morgan Moses, the Jets now have one of the better tackle duos in the league, and they also have stalwart lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker on the interior. It’ll be interesting to see which offensive line ends up being better — the Jets or the Washington Football Team. Washington was comfortable with releasing Moses, but it’s now up to them to replace a man who’d started the last 96 games.

That might be easier said than done.