Washington cut long-time starting right tackle Morgan Moses
Moses started 97 games over seven seasons with Washington after being selected in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Friday 21 May 2021 10:22, UK
Morgan Moses was released by Washington on Thursday, a surprising decision to cut ties with one of the organisation's longest-tenured players even in light of offseason additions.
Moses started every game of every season at right tackle for Washington the past six years, playing through injury and anchoring that side of the offensive line along with All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff through many other personnel changes. The 39-year-old is a free agent effective immediately.
Releasing Moses saves $7.5m, and moving on from 2018 third-round pick Geron Christian almost another $1m against the salary cap. Washington are hoping those savings are worth some uncertainty at the two starting tackle positions.
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Washington still have hold over Cornelius Lucas, who started half the season last year on the left side, signed former Chicago Bears offensive tackle Charles Leno and drafted Samuel Cosmi out of Texas in the second round. Saahdiq Charles, a fourth-round pick in 2020, is also on the roster but had his rookie season limited by injuries to one game at guard.
Bringing in Leno and Cosmi led to this development: the team gave Moses' camp permission to seek a trade before he was released. Even though a trade didn't materialise, the 2014 third-round pick with 106 regular-season and playoff games of NFL experience, including 99 starts, shouldn't have trouble finding a new team.
Moses was one of a shrinking number of holdovers under coach Ron Rivera still left from the previous regime. Moses, a native of Richmond, Virginia, where the team has held training camp for the better part of a decade, was a fan favourite, most notably as the subject of a viral Morgan Moses Pancakes campaign that led to local IHOP restaurants honouring him for his pancake-style blocks.
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