For the past several Training Camp practices, the Washington Redskins fifth overall draft pick Brandon Scherff has been lining up at Right Guard with Morgan Moses at Right Tackle. Washington drafted Scherff with the intentions of playing him at Right Tackle. However, what started as an apparent depth-chart-insurance-shuffle could now be a permanent answer to Washington’s offensive line question marks.
Head Coach Jay Gruden says it could “very well be” more than just an experiment with Scherff playing Right Guard. “We’re just going to go out here and giving these guys reps, like Coach [Bill] Callahan said, ‘Cross-train them,’ and then let the exhibition games take care of themselves and we’ll make our decisions for Miami. That’s definitely a possibility with Morgan at right tackle and Brandon at right guard.”
According to several team sources, the Washington Redskins’ coaching staff is “thrilled” with the progress second year player Morgan Moses has made. Moses’ progress thrilled the staff so much that it prompted them to give him a shot at Right Tackle.
At 6ft 6, 314 lbs, Morgan Moses fits the “Scot McCloughan Mold.” His 35 3/8” wing span and 10 inch hands makes Moses a very long athlete who can mirror the biggest of defensive lineman — like a J.J. Watt who has been in Richmond the past two days. Moses still has to prove his worth during Pre-Season games, but he certainly has what it takes to become a very solid Right Tackle.
“Last year, when he [Morgan Moses] came from Virginia, he played right tackle I think it was his sophomore year and left tackle his junior and senior year then we tried to make the flip to right tackle and everything was kind of backwards to him,” said Gruden. So, it took a little bit of time. He was much more comfortable on the left side, but having a year under his belt has helped him on the right side anyways. So, I think he feels a lot more comfortable. That’s the biggest difference in him, just feeling more comfortable in his pass sets on the right side, his reach block on the right side, his combination blocks, his short sets, just all that stuff I think has come more natural to him on the right side than it did last year.”
Moses’ emergence could actually be the greatest scenario of all for the Washington Redskins because it allows them to place rookie Brandon Scherff at Right Guard. Now, the Redskins of old would probably never move their fifth overall pick to Guard this early in his career for political reasons. But it’s a new day in Washington. There’s finally smart football minds running the show.
The presence of new Offensive Line coach (who will wear a lot of hats this year), Bill Callahan, is being felt. Callahan isn’t afraid to shuffle players into the best spots possible. He’s not into fitting square pegs in round holes. He also doesn’t care who you are, where you were drafted and how much money you make. All Bill Callahan cares about is putting the best five players out on game day across his offensive line. For the Washington Redskins, that’s a pretty refreshing mindset to have.
It’s not that Brandon Scherff can’t play Right Tackle, because he can. Scherff would probably develop into a pretty good Right Tackle. The thing is, there’s no doubt in my mind and in many scouts/coaches minds that Scherff will be an All-Pro guard. So why take an All-Pro Guard and make him a pretty good Right Tackle when you don’t have to? Well, now the Redskins seemingly don’t have to.
“I think he can play tackle,” said NFL Network’s draft analyst Mike Mayock in February. “I think he can start. I said this about Zack Martin last year. I thought Zach could play all five positions in the offensive line. I think it’s a question of a very similar conversation we had with Zack Martin last year. You could start at left tackle, probably be a good left tackle. You could start at right tackle, be a very good right tackle. As it turned out, he was an all pro year one at right guard. When I look at Brandon Scherff, I see a similar example. I see a bigger kid with longer arms. That lends you to believe that he could play outside more easily. Again, I believe he can play outside. However, I think his best position, because of his power, his toughness, his football sense, is inside. I think he’s an all pro guard. But that doesn’t mean he can’t play tackle in the NFL.”
It was interesting of Mayock, at the time, to give the Zach Martin comparison to Scherff. Redskins OL Coach Bill Callahan molded Martin into an All-Pro last season with the Dallas Cowboys. Now he has a similar player in Brandon Scherff, who I’m sure he’s seeing similarities to during training camp practices.
Some may not like the notion of Scherff playing guard when he was drafted with the fifth overall pick. I totally get it. That’s a similar argument I made Pre-Draft. I don’t believe in taking guards top-ten, unless they’re potential All-Pro’s. But with many pass rushers now in the NFL, linemen and linebackers alike, rush from the interior. Your interior in today’s NFL is extremely important. Not only do the J.J. Watt’s of the world rush from the inside a lot, so do the stand-up guys like Justin Houston. So when you’re able to solidify a guard spot with a nasty, grimy player — you take pride in doing just that.
Sure it’s easier to find guards than tackles. But there’s nothing harder than finding an All-Pro at any position. The Washington Redskins could have that in Scherff. Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure, it’s become very clear that winning on-the-field is slowly emerging as the most important trait for Washington.
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