Right tackle Morgan Moses started all 16 games this season to bolster one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. He's now eligible for an extension entering the final year of his contract.
Even after sustaining an ankle injury in the middle of the season, right tackle Morgan Moses fought through weekly pain and continued to take his game to new levels in his third season in the NFL.
A model of stability, Moses has started 32 consecutive games alongside right guard Brandon Scherff, tallying the third most offensive snaps in 2016 behind Scherff and quarterback Trent Williams. Since a Lisfranc sprain ended his rookie season prematurely, the Virginia product has helped provide a strong foundation on the right side of the offensive line.
"We've grown tremendously over the years, man, and to have somebody like that is a blessing," Moses said of his development with Scherff. "He's a good guy on and off the field, and he comes to work every day."
As Moses enters the final year of his rookie deal, he'll have the opportunity to engage in contract extension discussions for the first time, something the 25-year old third-round pick hasn't thought too much about yet.
"For me right now, is focus on the things I can focus on," Moses said. "I have a family that will be needing me at home and I will get to spend a lot of time with the kids and getting in the best shape as possible. At the end of the day you're still a professional and you've got to take care of the things you've got to take care of off the field. So starting [Monday] you've just got to get in there and try and get as healthy as possible first, that's the number one thing, and then go from there."
Moses is one of five players drafted in 2014 that spent time on the active roster this season. Linebacker Trent Murphy, cornerback Bashaud Breeland, center Spencer Long and wide receiver Ryan Grant are also eligible to discuss extensions, their first opportunity after the new rules in the collective bargaining agreement in 2011.
And while the season ended before the Redskins had hoped, both Moses and Long contributed to an at-times prolific offense protecting Cousins and paving the way for running backs Rob Kelley and rookie Rob Kelley.
"It's been an up and down season all year," Moses said. "I feel like this season brought out a lot of who we were. We had some tough losses, we came back, jelled together, won some big games, and at the end, you play to play in the playoffs, to play in the Super Bowl. We fell short of that goal. We've just got to have everybody regroup in the offseason, get healthy and come with the mindset of winning this offseason when we go back to OTAs."
Check out behind the scenes images from Offensive Tackle, Morgan Moses's 2016 Redskins Photo Shoot.
Moses didn't seem too concerned about any lingering injuries, including the ankle he aggravated in London and played through for the rest of the season. The right tackle said he's not someone who takes too much time off once the offseason hits and likes to "hit the ground running."
As he reflects on the season, Moses knows the offense still struggled in key areas, primarily in the red zone, which often cost them multiple touchdowns each game, and resulted in losses like the one to the Giants. Still, the offensive line took major strides as a unit despite rotations on the left side throughout the year, something Moses hopes to build on in the spring.
"You look at the year overall, we did a lot of great things," Moses said "You look at the numbers that we put up on offense this year and they're top in the NFL. They're the top in Washington history. We just got to take the things that we learned from this year and correct them for next year."