Morgan Moses

Patriots Pursued LT Dan Moore Jr.

Despite entering the offseason with a runaway lead in cap space, the Patriots have not added a starting left tackle yet. The draft may become New England’s avenue to address this high-level need, but the team does look to have contributed to framing a pricey market the Titans closed.

Dan Moore Jr. led the way on the tackle front this year, outdoing Ronnie Stanley, Alaric Jackson and Cam Robinson in free agency thanks to his four-year, $82MM Titans contract. This monster deal did not feature an inflated early report or any “up to” misdirection; it cost the Titans a true $82MM ($42.5MM guaranteed at signing) to land the four-year Steelers LT.

Not viewed as an upper-echelon player at the position, PFR’s No. 13 free agent cashed in due to a combination of age (26), experience (66 career starts) and durability (two missed games). Moore also may have scored the deal he did because of Patriots market participation. The Patriots launched what sounds like an aggressive pursuit of Moore, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, only to stand down as the bidding soared.

Mike Vrabel spoke of bolstering his lines this offseason, but the Pats did not opt to stay in the Moore and Drew Dalman markets to the end. A New England Dalman pursuit ended with the ex-Atlanta starter signing with Chicago (three years, $42MM). The Patriots have answered some of their O-line questions, but neither came with a high price tag. The Pats added Morgan Moses on a three-year, $24MM deal that includes $11MM at signing. Despite going into his age-34 season, the veteran right tackle will see $4.5MM of his $6.5MM 2026 base salary already guaranteed, Breer adds.

Moore secured $50MM through the first two years of his Titans deal, Breer adds. Tennessee and New England reside in similar positions, payroll-wise, as the Titans have a rookie QB contract (Will Levis‘). They also may be set to restart that clock by drafting Cam Ward first overall. The Patriots took Drake Maye at No. 3 last year and have him under rookie-deal control through at least 2026. But the team is still searching for its biggest O-line piece, as only an aging Moses and a Vikings cap casualty (center Garrett Bradbury) are en route to help.

With the open market as an advantage for Moore, he managed to go from oft-scrutinized Steelers option to receiving the fifth-highest full guarantee number among LTs. In terms of total guarantees, Moore’s $50MM trails only Christian Darrisaw, Andrew Thomas and Laremy Tunsil. Moore’s resume can certainly open the door to overpay criticisms, but as the Titans prepare to kick JC Latham back to his primary college position (RT), the retooling AFC South team checked a big need off its list.

Beyond their O-line contracts, we have a few more Pats financials to pass along. New backup quarterback Josh Dobbs will be tied to a two-year, $8MM deal. The Pats, however, did not guarantee anything beyond Year 1, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. The team could move on for a $1.1MM dead money charge in 2026. Though, the Pats’ openness to trading Joe Milton this offseason points to a multiyear Dobbs partnership.

Elsewhere on the Pats’ payroll, Mack Hollins‘ deal checks in at two years and $8.4MM. The journeyman WR will see $3.5MM guaranteed at signing, per OverTheCap. Like Dobbs, no Hollins money is guaranteed beyond Year 1. A $1MM receptions incentive is in place, however, per Wilson. Safety Jaylinn Hawkins‘ agreement to stay in Foxborough is a one-year, $1.8MM pact, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss tweets. Hawkins, who started seven Pats games last season, will see $650K guaranteed at signing.

Patriots, Morgan Moses Agree To Deal

Morgan Moses will not play for the Jets in 2025 but he will remain in the AFC East. The veteran right tackle has an agreement in place with the Patriots.

This is a three-year, $24MM deal, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. The pact has a maximum value of $28.5MM. Even at the age of 34 and despite the injuries Moses played through this past season, he has landed a notable commitment.

For a mid-30s tackle, Moses has done quite well. He has now enjoyed a lengthy run in Washington, two stops in New York and time in Baltimore during Lamar Jackson‘s rise. Moses has been an enduring right tackle presence throughout his career, making 158 starts. He logged 14 for the Jets last season, helping out as Tyron Smith again ran into injury trouble. Pro Football Focus slotted Moses ranked Moses 52nd overall among tackle regulars, however.

The Jets and Moses were believed to be in talks about another deal, but as the team breaks in Justin Fields at quarterback, it will be looking for a new RT starter. The Ravens had traded Moses back to the Jets, with whom he played in 2021, early in free agency last year. He started two seasons for Baltimore.

This year’s market did not bring much in the way of right tackle help, as a few LTs — Ronnie Stanley, Alaric Jackson, Cam Robinson, Dan Moore, Jaylon Moore — were out of contract. The Patriots were targeting Stanley, but he did not reach the market, with the Ravens re-signing the ex-Moses teammate. PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents list did not include a right tackle this year, but left tackle had been a bigger New England trouble spot during Drake Maye‘s rookie season. The Pats will still have work to do, though Robinson remains available.

Moses’ arrival will help Michael Onwenu settle in at right guard. The Pats have yo-yoed Onwenu from RT to RG during his career. Last season, Onwenu split his time at the two positions but played more inside. This signing would appear to at least halt Onwenu’s run of position switches for a bit. Though, it will be worth monitoring if Moses can keep up solid play into his mid-30s.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

T Morgan Moses Cleared Medically Prior To Free Agency

MARCH 9: The Jets are working to re-sign Moses, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. She adds, however, that a trip to free agency is expected in this case. Moses’ health will of course play a large role in determining his market amongst outside suitors, but another New York pact could be in the cards.

MARCH 8: Pending free agent offensive tackle Morgan Moses turned 34 years old this week, yet it seems he’s coming back for another year of football. It takes a lot for an offensive tackle to keep playing at a starting level at that age, and Moses has certainly been dealt his lumps, but according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Moses was “given a clean bill of health from the Jets’ medical staff” today.

In 11 seasons of NFL play, Moses has not been known for missing time with injuries. While he has missed three games in each of the past two seasons, those were his first missed games since his rookie season in Washington in 2014, when he missed time due to a Lisfranc injury.

Last year, Moses missed two games early with a reported grade 2 MCL sprain and a bone bruise. Later on, following his return to the field, it was reported that Moses had been playing through the MCL sprain, a meniscus issue, and a fracture in his knee for several weeks. The veteran lineman had been sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber and rehabbing around the clock in order to get into playing shape each week, despite the Jets being fairly out of range of playoff contention.

While, at 34, it’s not likely that Moses’ clean bill of health will last through another full season, his warrior-like mentality to battle through injuries will not be necessary to start the year. Wherever he plays in 2025, he won’t be working through anything to start the year.

In regard to where he’ll play, ESPN’s Rich Cimini communicated that New York has remained in contact with Moses. Cimini points out that the Jets lack a serviceable replacement for Moses on the roster at the moment and that the free agent market at the position in extremely thin. The NFL draft doesn’t stand to be much help either, as many of the NCAA’s best tackles entering the draft are being viewed as likely interior options at the next level.

The importance that Moses has to the roster is a good sign for his likelihood to re-sign with the Jets. Especially since New York has already cleared him medically, while passing a physical elsewhere might not be as smooth of a process, all signs seem to be pointing to another season with the Jets.

Jets Rumors: HCs, Kingsbury, Johnson, Moses, Adams, McDonald

There are going to be plenty of question marks for the Jets to solve this offseason, but the most important one is going to be the head coaching position. After firing Robert Saleh in early-October, Jeff Ulbrich has been serving as interim head coach, but in the last ten years, only three of 23 interim coaches have been hired for the official job following their interim duties.

According to Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York, team owner Woody Johnson is overseeing the head coaching search, and the organization has already “started putting feelers out on potential head coaching candidates.” This doesn’t bode well for Ulbrich, who has only gone 1-5 since taking over as the interim head coach.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of New York:

  • Speaking of head coaching searches, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury interviewed for the Jets’ open job back in 2019. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, Kingsbury’s interview “went terribly,” partially due to the fact that he likely already knew that the Cardinals’ job was his. Six years later, Kingsbury’s name is likely to pop up again this offseason in head coaching conversations. He may get a second chance at his Jets interview.
  • With a head coaching search in progress and a potential change in general manager looming, as well, Johnson’s role as owner becomes a crucial one. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, though, there’s reportedly uncertainty because of Johnson’s volatility. Specifically, there appears to be a sense that Johnson takes too many opinions from “nonfootball people” and listens far too often to social media and the internet. That’s a scary concept for Jets fans to swallow as they gear up for another potential rebuild.
  • According to Costello, Jets starting right tackle Morgan Moses has been playing through a grade 2 MCL sprain, a meniscus issue, and a fracture in his knee for the last several weeks. Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Moses has been “sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber and rehabbing around the clock” in order to get into playing shape each week.
  • Per Rich Cimini of ESPN, the Jets are experimenting with giving starting safety Tony Adams a bit less time on the field. An every-down player since 2023, Adams is the team’s third-leading tackler this season despite missing four tackles last week and missing the prior two games with a hamstring injury. Jalen Mills had been filling in during Adams’ absence, and he may be taking up the slack as Adams handles a reduced role.
  • Defensive end Will McDonald didn’t do too much to live up to his first-round draft status as a rookie last year. In Year 2, McDonald is looking much more worthy of the Day 1 pick, totaling eight sacks in ten games this season. There were assumptions after the draft that the Jets had reached for McDonald after the Steelers traded ahead of them to draft offensive tackle Broderick Jones, the assumed target of New York. According to Cimini, general manager Joe Douglas always preferred McDonald over Jones, intending to pair him opposite their first-round pick from the previous year, Jermaine Johnson, for the foreseeable future. McDonald’s sophomore success has made it clear that perhaps the Jets did not reach, as many assumed.

OL Rumors: Patriots, Moses, Cards, 49ers

The Patriots entered training camp with significant questions along their offensive line; those have not been answered, as the team continues to delay Drake Maye‘s debut. This could set up a historically rare succession at the game’s highest-profile O-line position. The Pats may be on the verge of starting a fourth left tackle in four games to open the season. Demontrey Jacobs, who went to camp with the Broncos before becoming a Patriots waiver claim, worked at LT alongside the other first-string blockers during the parts of Wednesday and Thursday’s practices open to media, the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed notes.

Injuries and Chukwuma Okorafor leaving the team put the Pats in this bind. They have used Okorafor, Vederian Lowe and rookie third-rounder Caedan Wallace at LT over the first three weeks. Lowe and Wallace injuries brought Jacobs into the fray against the Jets. Part of Denver’s 2023 UDFA class, Jacobs had not played in a regular-season game until last week. Wallace has gotten in two limited practices, potentially allowing the Pats to prevent this 4-for-4 turnstyle on Jacoby Brissett‘s blind side, but Lowe remains out ahead of a 49ers matchup.

Here is the latest from the O-line ranks:

  • Remaining in the AFC East, the Jets intend to go week to week with their right tackle. Morgan Moses sustained an MCL sprain and bone bruise and will miss a few weeks, but Robert Saleh confirmed the Jets will not park their RT starter on IR. Moses has been a dependable player throughout his career, missing only three games over the past 10 seasons. It will be worth wondering if the veteran reacquires his job upon returning, as the Jets will throw first-round pick Olu Fashanu into action. Fashanu had been drafted to initially provide insurance for Moses and fellow 33-year-old blocker Tyron Smith, before moving into a long-term starting role. Will the Penn State product play well enough to avoid being sent back to the bench?
  • The Cardinals are using a backup right tackle as well, plugging in Kelvin Beachum after Jonah Williams‘ Week 1 injury. Williams is on IR due to a knee injury, and Beachum missed Week 3 with a hamstring malady. Formerly a long-term starter for the Steelers, Jets and Cardinals, Beachum returned to practice but is in his age-35 season. The Cardinals worked out another 30-something tackle this week, bringing in Cameron Erving, per Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer. The Texans had cut the former first-round pick from their practice squad injured list recently, but the nine-year vet does not look to have needed much time to recover. The Cardinals started former seventh-round pick Jackson Barton in Beachum’s place in Week 3.
  • GM Monti Ossenfort had said a D.J. Humphries reunion could commence down the road, despite the second-year Cardinals regime cutting the longtime left tackle early this offseason. But the former first-round pick is not ready to return from injury just yet. He is still potentially several weeks away from medical clearance, Balzer adds. Humphries, 30, started eight seasons for the Cardinals — seven at left tackle, one at right tackle — went down during the team’s Week 17 win over the Eagles.
  • Beaten out for the 49ers‘ right guard job after seeing extensive time there from 2022-23, Spencer Burford is seeing some reps at a new position. The 49ers are trying the third-year blocker at tackle, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows. This is due to San Francisco having just three tackles — Trent Williams, Colton McKivitz, Jaylon Moore — on their 53-man roster, with one of those (Williams) being 36. It is interesting this effort is only commencing now, as Williams’ holdout lasted more than a month. Burford, who now backs up third-round rookie Dominick Puni, played guard and tackle at Texas-San Antonio.

Jets RT Morgan Moses Facing Multi-Week Absence

TODAY, 10:35am: After undergoing “a battery of tests” on his injured knee, it’s been determined that Moses will only miss two to four weeks, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The veteran lineman has officially been diagnosed with an MCL sprain and a bone bruise.

FRIDAY, 12:55pm: The Jets’ offensive line suffered a blow during Thursday night’s win. Right tackle Morgan Moses is dealing with a knee injury which is set to keep him sidelined for a stretch.

Head coach Robert Saleh said the team was confident the worst-case scenario had been avoided when speaking about Moses’ status (h/t ESPN’s Rich Cimini). Further testing is still required, but veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports the 33-year-old is currently expected to miss “at least” a couple weeks due to the injury. Encouragingly, Schultz adds surgery will likely not be required.

The worst-case scenario has thus been avoided, but Moses’ absence will leave the Jets in need of a change to the starting lineup up front. First-round rookie Olu Fashanu is now set to handle a first-team role after spending time in the summer working at both tackle spots. The Penn State product was selected as a successor to Tyron Smith on the blindside, but the former Cowboys All-Pro has played every snap to date with his new team.

Moses began his career in Washington before a one-year stint with the Jets. The former third-rounder inked a free agent deal with the Ravens in 2022, and he served as the team’s full-time right tackle starter through the end of last season. With one year remaining on his pact, Baltimore dealt Moses back to New York in March as part of the Ravens’ youth movement up front.

The Virginia product has drawn a career-worst 51.2 PFF grade through three weeks, a steep decline from his past evaluations. He will aim to rebound once healthy, but for the time being Fashanu will be counted on to provide stable play at the right tackle spot while the Jets attempt to build off the momentum of a 2-1 start. It will be interesting to see if injured reserve (which would require a four-game absence) is deemed necessary for Moses once a full evaluation takes place.

AFC East Notes: Tua, Jets, Patriots, Miller

We previously heard that both the Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa were hoping for speedy negotiations on an extension. However, it sounds like the two sides are temporarily pumping the brakes on a potential deal.

Daniel Oyefusi of The Miami Herald writes that while Tagovailoa’s next contract is the most “consequential matter” in Miami, it isn’t the most pressing. A source also made it clear that an agreement isn’t imminent and there’s “no rush” to finalize a deal.

When we last heard about the impending negotiations, there was a general sentiment that neither the Dolphins nor Tagovailoa wanted the extension talks to hang over training camp, much less the regular season. The two sides could simply be delaying talks until after free agency and the draft, which would still provide an ample amount of time to negotiate before practices start.

The former first-round pick is currently slated to play the 2024 season on a $23.17MM salary via the fifth-year option. Tua is coming off a career year where he set career highs in passing yards (4,624), touchdowns (29), and completion percentage (69.3). He also managed to get into all 17 games, a significant accomplishment after he missed 14 contests through his first three years in the NFL due to injuries and concussions.

More notes out of the AFC East…

  • The Jets recently added Mike Williams to their receivers room, but with the former Charger coming off a torn ACL, he won’t immediately be seen on the practice field. GM Joe Douglas told reporters that Williams will not be ready for the start of training camp, but there’s optimism that he’ll be good to go for Week 1 (per SNY’s Connor Hughes). Williams himself echoed that sentiment, telling ESPN’s Adam Schefter that it’s his goal to be ready for the regular season opener.
  • Two more Jets injury updates, both coming on the offensive line. After being limited to five games last season thanks to an Achilles injury, guard Alijah Vera-Tucker is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, coach Robert Saleh told reporters (via team reporter Caroline Hendershot). Meanwhile, new addition (and old friend) Morgan Moses revealed that he played through most of last season with a torn pec, telling the team’s website that he’s looking forward “to having two arms this year.”
  • While the Patriots have been busy re-signing their own free agents, the new regime is making it clear that they’re not following the same formula as Bill Belichick. ESPN’s Mike Reiss points to the recent release of special teams ace Chris Board, “who was a Belichick favorite.” While the former head coach/chief decision maker used to invest in top-of-the-market deals for key ST players, Reiss notes that new head coach Jerod Mayo and de facto GM Eliot Wolf “appear less willing.” Reiss also points to defensive back Myles Bryant, who “lost a top advocate in Belichick.” After spending the past four seasons in New England, Bryant remains unsigned, and the Patriots are only willing to bring him back if his salary is reflective of a “depth player” vs. a “key cog.”
  • After Von Miller was arrested on a domestic violence charge, the NFL considered suspending the Bills linebacker. However, commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters (including ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler) that a suspension “was not appropriate based on the facts,” although the case remains under review by the NFL. Miller told reporters in December that the allegations were “100% false.”

Jets To Reacquire T Morgan Moses From Ravens

In need at tackle, the Jets will turn to a familiar face. The Ravens are sending Morgan Moses back to the Jets, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Moses, who played for the Jets in 2021, has been the Ravens’ starting right tackle for the past two years. This will be a pick-swap deal. The Jets will receive Moses and a fourth-round pick (No. 135, a compensator), while the Ravens will collect fourth- and sixth-rounders (Nos. 113 and 218).

The Jets entered the offseason unlikely to bring back their primary 2023 tackles — Duane Brown and Mekhi Becton — and their O-line plan in front of Aaron Rodgers has been roundly criticized since the team acquired the future Hall of Fame quarterback. In Moses, the Jets will have a veteran in position to start at right tackle. Moses has made 144 career starts; 16 of those came with the Jets three years ago.

Going into his age-33 season, Moses is going into the final season of the five-year, $15MM contract he signed in 2022. He is due a $5.5MM base salary. With the Jets aiming for Becton to return and George Fant still under contract, they let Moses walk in 2022. Becton did not end up playing that season, leaving the team in a pinch. That produced the late-summer Brown addition. With that contract and Becton’s rookie deal off the books, the Jets need new answers.

Helping the Ravens to the AFC’s No. 1 seed, Moses ranked 20th in pass block win rate last season. The longtime Washington starter continued to display durability in Baltimore, missing only three games in his two-season starter run. Moses played in all 17 Jets games in 2021, initially landing in New York after being a mid-offseason cut. A 2014 third-round pick, Moses is one of the game’s longest-tenured tackle starters. He has been a first-stringer since the start of the 2015 season.

Pro Football Focus was even higher on Moses last season, slotting him 10th among all tackles; PFF ranked Moses 13th in 2022. Despite holding the NFL’s longest playoff drought, the Jets are far from rebuild mode. Adding a soon-to-be 33-year-old tackle adds up on the team’s timeline, with Rodgers — his recent proclamations aside — still probably in year-to-year mode. This Moses rental also would stand to ensure Alijah Vera-Tucker stays at guard, which has been the team’s preference after sliding the 2021 first-round pick over to right tackle — due to injury emergencies — in each of the past two seasons.

This trade will leave only Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum as Ravens 2023 O-line starters under contract. The team will keep Stanley on a pay cut but has now lost Moses and left guard John Simpson. The team has swingman Patrick Mekari contracted, but the reigning AFC North champs will have some work to do. That said, Moses and Simpson both arrived before OC Todd Monken. That could be a factor in the team being willing to move on from starters.

Ravens, T Morgan Moses Agree To Deal

The Ravens are adding a veteran right tackle to the mix. They agreed to terms with Morgan Moses on Tuesday night, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tweets.

Formerly with Washington and the Jets, Moses will join the Ravens on a three-year deal worth $15MM. This marks a bump for Moses, who found himself a cap casualty midway through the 2021 offseason. He previously played for $3.6MM with the Jets.

Previously a rock in Washington, Moses started every game for the franchise from 2015-20. The Jets enjoyed the set-it-and-forget-it pattern with Moses, starting him in 16 games last season. Following Mekhi Becton‘s Week 1 injury, the Jets used Moses and George Fant at tackle throughout the season. Moses has not missed a game since his rookie 2014 season.

Moses, 31, will come to a Ravens team that has seen some instability disrupt what was one of the NFL’s best tackle tandems. Baltimore traded Orlando Brown Jr. to Kansas City and saw Ronnie Stanley go down with another significant injury. While Stanley is expected to be back to man the Ravens’ left tackle spot, the team just saw Alejandro Villanueva retire.

Moses stands to be a pivotal piece for the next Ravens O-line, which will likely feature the eight-year veteran as its starting right tackle. Patrick Mekari played there primarily for Baltimore in 2021, and although he signed a Ravens extension, the team could move the versatile blocker back inside. The former center may be a candidate there, with Bradley Bozeman a free agent. The Ravens also have Ja’Wuan James, a veteran and injury-prone right tackle whom they stashed as a rehab project last year, as an option. But Moses should be considered the favorite to start opposite Stanley.

The Jets expressed interest in retaining Moses, whose new Ravens contract does not match the five-year, $40MM extension he signed with Washington back in 2017. Gang Green has some options, one being moving Fant to right tackle — his position to start the 2021 season — and trying Becton again on the left side. Becton’s stock has freefallen since his promising rookie season, however. The Jets, who hold the Nos. 4 and 10 picks in next month’s draft, are also a candidate to take a tackle in Round 1.

Jets’ Mekhi Becton, George Fant To Compete For LT Job; Team Seeking Extension For Fant?

Having drafted LT Mekhi Becton with the No. 11 overall pick of the 2020 draft, the Jets were surely hoping that the Louisville product would not be fighting for his job after two seasons in the NFL. But according to head coach Robert Saleh, that’s the situation that Becton finds himself in. Saleh recently told reporters, including Brian Costello of the New York Post, that Becton and George Fant will be competing for the starting left tackle position (Twitter link).

New York signed Fant to a three-year, $27.3MM contract in March 2020, and he had a disappointing first season in New York, playing on the right side of the line and finishing as Pro Football Focus’ 64th-best tackle out of 79 qualifiers. The Jets brought in veteran Morgan Moses last May with the assumption that he would serve as Becton’s bookend and push Fant to a swing tackle role, but Fant put together a good training camp and surprisingly held onto his RT post.

Then, Becton suffered a dislocated knee cap in Week 1 of the 2021 campaign, which forced the Jets to shift Fant to LT. The former Seahawks UDFA thrived, allowing just 18 pressures in his 15 games, third-fewest in the league. Becton, meanwhile, never got back onto the field. Though his injury was a serious one, conditioning problems appeared to complicate his recovery, which was not the first time that Becton had run into weight-related issues.

Becton is listed at 6-7 and 363 pounds, though he reportedly played at a higher weight than that as a rookie. And Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network hears that Becton was actually over 400 pounds by the time the 2021 season ended. Pauline also writes that the competition that Saleh referenced will not be much of a competition at all, and that Fant has been told the job is his to lose.

In fact, Pauline reports that the Jets are working on an extension for Fant, who will turn 30 in July and who is entering his contract year. Another season like the one he put together in 2021 could catapult him to top-tier LT money, and Gang Green may want to lock him in before that happens.

Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, however, says there have been no extension talks with Fant. Cimini does confirm that the organizational concern with Becton is “very real,” and while the Jets are not going to part ways with him at this point, they want to see him committed to dropping weight this offseason. There is a good chance that the club will keep Fant at LT and move Becton to RT — which would perhaps obviate the need to draft a player like Alabama OT Evan Neal — but New York has also not foreclosed the possibility of re-signing Moses.