The Washington Football Team is ready to move on from Morgan Moses. This week, the front office granted the longtime starting tackle permission to seek a trade (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
Moses is currently slated to earn $7.75MM in 2021. That’s not an unreasonable sum, but it’s more than WFT will pay Charles Leno on his brand new one-year, $5MM pact. Leno, 29, is now the leader to man Washington’s left tackle spot with second-round pick Samuel Cosmi positioned to take over in the long run. Now, Washington may look to slot Cosmi in as the RT starter while turning Moses into a bit of future draft capital.
“It gives us more depth,” head coach Ron Rivera told reporters after signing the ex-Bears starter. “It gives us more opportunity to fill some of the other basic needs we have and having another guy that’s been a very durable, veteran player. I just don’t think you can have enough quality offensive line depth.”
Moses hasn’t been a world-beater. But, to his credit, he hasn’t missed a start since his rookie year. He did so while playing through some painful injuries over the last few seasons. Moses’ medical chart includes ankle and Lisfranc surgeries, plus pectoral tears.
When did this situation turn bad? This seems outta left field. Was he unhappy with the Leno signing? I was under the assumption that Leno was a stop gap until Cosmi was ready to take over. And if anything having an extra swing man tackle isn’t a terrible idea.
The team, the fans, have never been happy with him. He’s overpaid and underwhelming. I like the guy, too. Virginia guy. A local guy playing for the home team more or less
But more is needed at RT. Sucks, but…
I agree but there’s no reason to get rid of him while he’s our best current option at RT
He got the best PFF season grade of his career last year, 80.6, but had graded out with them in the mid-60’s, so roughly average, give or take, the prior three years. He’s only just 30, and he’s got cap hits of $9.635 million this year and $7.75 million in 2022. His contract has the 10th highest average annual value among right tackles, and his cap hits rank 9th in 2021 and 12th in 2022.
Not being a Washington fan, but having taken a recent interest in them thanks to Taylor Heinicke (a fan since his Vikings days), I’d have thought they’d want to hold onto Moses and maybe even extend him after the season if he kept up his 2020 level of play, but after one season of assessing what he’s got, Rivera seems to be moving in the direction of remaking the roster, just like a lot of other new head coaches do after their first year with a new club. I’m a fan of continuity, and while I would have brought in a young LTOTF like Cosmi to challenge Cornelius Lucas, I wouldn’t have disrupted both starting tackle positions in the same off-season, myself. But I’m not a professional football head coach with a Super Bowl appearance on my resume.
Had the same impression when I read this yesterday, but looking through the depth chart they have Christian, Lucas, Charles, and Cosmi as young OTs and recently added Leno. I don’t really see a reason to move on from Moses now, unless they see a potential roster crunch coming at the position and want to be out ahead of it. I don’t really see a need to free the 7ish million in cap room for this season.
I would say trade him depending on what you can get back. When did the NFL start giving players permission to seek a trade? Can someone explain this to me? Thanks.