The 2020 season is here, and we have you covered as the Washington Football Team progresses through its inaugural campaign under head coach Ron Rivera. Stay up to date with "WFT Daily," which comes out every weekday evening.
THE LATEST
It's been a turbulent season for the Washington Football Team's offensive line so far. Between shuffling players in and out of the starting lineup and three-time Pro Bowler Brandon Scherff spending three weeks on Injured Reserve, the group has struggled to collectively gain traction.
Right tackle Morgan Moses, who is in the midst of his seventh season, has been one of the bright spots for the group, though, and his coaches have been impressed with his performance as well as his professionalism as part of a group littered with young talent.
"Morgan's been outstanding," said offensive coordinator Scott Turner. "He's been a leader for us as an offensive unit. He's played every game there. Really does a nice job both in the run and pass block. He's a tough guy."
Moses, a third-round pick in 2014, has started in every game for Washington since the start of the 2015 season, which is the longest active stretch of any player on the team. That alone is impressive, but Moses has complemented that durability with consistently solid performances. Since becoming a mainstay at right tackle, he has three seasons in which he has graded out at a 75 or higher, according to Pro Football Focus.
This year, Moses is off to the best start of his career with an overall grade of 78.4, which ranks 19th among 74 offensive tackles. He has allowed pressures on 3.7% of pass blocking plays, which is the third-lowest among the team's offensive linemen who have seen the most playing time.
Assistant offensive line coach Travelle Wharton didn't know Moses personally before joining Washington's coaching staff, but he respected the way he played. Now that he knows him personally, he sees the passion Moses comes to work with each day.
"He's competitive," Wharton said. "How he goes out to practice, how he handles his business, how he handles the young guys -- he's a veteran. He commands respect in the room. I get excited for those guys to have the love for the game, and you can see it with him."
Moses' motivation is simple: he doesn't want to let his teammates down.
"At the end of the day, we have a job to do, and whether it's on one leg, two legs or whatever the case is," Moses said. "If you can be out there, you want to be out there."
His approach to the game, Wharton said, is infectious on the offensive line. For a group that has players who are still developing, it provides a model for how to have a long professional career.
"He can be vocal, and guys resonate toward him," Turner said. "Morgan's been a solid, steady presence for us on the offensive line."
Washington will begin its push for the postseason starting with a rematch against the New York Giants Nov. 8. The team can count on Moses to be ready.
"All during the week, he's ready to go," Wharton said. "He's preparing. He's a smart player and he's preparing. He's really a veteran and you can tell his play has come from all the experience of games that he's played."
QUICK HITS
-- Transitioning from player to coach: Wharton has always wanted to be a coach dating back to his days as a 10-year veteran with the Carolina Panthers and Cincinnati Bengals. After spending time as a graduate assistant for the University of South Carolina, Wharton became the team's offensive line coach. And when Ron Rivera needed to fill a coaching vacancy on the Panthers' coaching staff in 2018, he hired Wharton as a full-time assistant. He has been with Rivera ever since.
The hard-working mentality he learned as a player has helped him transition to a different part of the game, but one of the biggest adjustments is studying film from a different perspective.
"As a player, you kind of focus on what you have to do and what the defense is trying to do versus certain plays. As a coach, you've got to find the plays and the deal that's going to help you win to be successful.
-- Rivera gives an update on Bryce Love: Running back Bryce Love has not been on the field since he was placed on Injured Reserve on Oct. 2. At the time, Rivera said Love experienced some swelling in his knee, and the time spent on IR would give him a chance to rest. He sounded confident the injury would not end his season, and on Friday he said the team was "hopeful" to get him back at some point.
"I think it's close to getting him back out there. Again, he was having a really good camp. He got sore for a little bit, and we just rested him to be quite honest. He's taken advantage of it. He's done a lot of really good things in the training room. An opportunity for us to get him back on the field is coming soon."
-- "You see the speed" from Robert Foster: There has been a bevy of excitement surrounding Robert Foster since Washington signed him off the Green Bay Packers' practice squad. The former University of Alabama receiver caught 27 passes for 541 yards and three touchdowns with the Buffalo Bills in 2018 but was used sparingly in 2019 and has not been active in a game since last December. He's still learning the offense, so he's not quite ready yet, Rivera said, but the team is starting to integrate him into the system in practice.
"You see the speed; I can tell you that much. It's not just necessarily helping the receiving corps, but he's a heck of a special teamer. He's got some kickoff return ability. He's got some kick coverage ability. He's a gunner. This is a guy that's multi-faceted."
The Washington Football team held practice at the Inova Sports Performance Center in Ashburn, Virginia, on Nov. 6, 2020. (Photos courtesy of Elijah Walter Griffin Sr./Washington Football Team & Emilee Fails/Washington Football Team)
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