Should the New York Jets pursue Morgan Moses? Is he a scheme fit? Would he play guard or tackle with the Jets? The film tells all.
You know how it goes. If a good player hits the open market and he plays a position where the Jets need help, then Jets fans are going to pester the team to sign him. Even if the player is not actually linked to the Jets in any capacity, it can sometimes feel as if they are considering how incessantly fans push the idea of signing him.
That’s been the case with former Washington Football Team right tackle Morgan Moses – except this time, there is real evidence that the Jets may be interested. The Jets met with Moses in late May shortly after he was released on May 20, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently confirmed that they remain interested in signing him.
#Jets are among multiple teams that remain interested in free agent OT Morgan Moses, per sources. Moses visited New York and Chicago in recent weeks. Teams have made strides in potentially signing him but no decision made.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) June 8, 2021
The 30-year-old veteran offers a resume that should intrigue any OL-needy team. He started 98 consecutive regular season and playoff games at right tackle for Washington from 2015-20 and was generally a solid player. In 2020, he posted a career-high overall Pro Football Focus grade of 80.6 that ranked sixth-best among right tackles. He was the position’s second-ranked run blocker (85.9 grade) and 15th-ranked pass blocker (70.8 grade).
Needing all of the offensive line help they can get, checking in on Moses’ price is a no-brainer for the Jets. At the very least, he can give them a reliable backup at the tackle position (something they do not currently have).
These are the main questions for the Jets regarding the idea of pursuing Moses with the intention of placing him in the starting lineup:
- How substantial of an upgrade would Moses be? Is he good enough to be considered someone who should be pursued aggressively and can be handed a starting spot without competing for it?
- Is Moses a fit in Mike LaFleur’s wide-zone running scheme?
- If the Jets do sign Moses, should he play guard or tackle?
The Jets have starters locked in at left tackle (Mekhi Becton), left guard (Alijah Vera-Tucker), and center (Connor McGovern). Right tackle is also seemingly filled by George Fant, but Moses’ arrival would put that in question. New York’s only gaping hole is at right guard, where a competition is seemingly set to ensue.
With all of that in mind, it isn’t certain where Moses would play in New York. Would he steal Fant’s right tackle spot? If so, would Fant move to right guard or be relegated to a backup role? Or, could Moses slide inside to fill the right guard spot while Fant stays put at right tackle? Maybe Moses would just be a backup?
Let’s dig into the film behind the strengths and weaknesses of both Moses and Fant to figure out how much of an upgrade Moses would be, whether he is a scheme fit, and which position he should play.
Morgan Moses: Strengths
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Absolute GREAT job on accumulating so many examples on film to share with the viewers & your commentary is informative and ‘Teacher Worthy’ ! THANK YOU!!!!
Much appreciated!
Sold!!! Have Douglas execute the paperwork and have it on my desk first thing in the morning !
I would agree we should absolutely sign. But I am curious about what you think a fair contract is length and value wise ? And what is the max you would go?
Nania gives us perspective on the Moses mania. Douglas could be taking advantage of the market, no one has any money. Joe has his price, and that’s it. Think the offer is only 5 million for one year,. Morgan is not going to jump at that offer, but there is nothing else out there . Moses was cut for a reason . Offset GVR with no guaranteed money saves 3.5
I think it depends on what the demand for him is, if the market is competitive I might refrain from giving him any crazy guarantees beyond this year and let a more desperate team do that. Three reasons I don’t want to commit to him multi-year: A. if we’re bringing him in to play guard, we don’t know for sure if he can do it and B. at tackle, he had a good 2020 but before that his numbers were generally just average year-to-year (in pass pro he was usually below-average), C. I’m not sure he is an amazing fit at tackle in this scheme.
So I’d like to set the bar higher and let JD find another long-term piece there in next year’s draft or wait until he can spend on/trade for a better/more consistent player. I think the floor with Moses at tackle in this offense as he enters his 30s is pretty low.
For me, ideally I’d like to get him in on a handsome 1-year deal. 1-year, $8 million, $4-5m guaranteed. Something in that range. Could be appealing for him too, he can get a nice number for one year and give himself the shot to earn a bigger multi-year deal on the open market next year.
But again depends on the market demand. Bears could really use RT help so perhaps they go all-out for him to play RT (although Jets have significantly more room than Chicago, they only have about 8m in cap space while Jets have 27m). Also, would he be interested in playing RG for the Jets if that’s what they want for him, or is he hellbent on staying at tackle? We don’t know that either.
Maybe we can just sign Morgan Moses’ beard?
I would consider it, but I think this offensive line already has really good beard game. Heck, Moses looks like Fant’s long lost brother, all the way down to the #76.
Top 5 Offensive beards in the league?
Once AVT has some time to develop his, I think they will be up there. The rest of the group is strong from Mekhi to CMG to GVR to Fant.