Tag: Jimmy Moreland

The Redskins have found the NFL’s recipe for success in the secondary

The recipe for success in the NFL is getting cheap players to perform like All-Pro talent, and the Redskins have done that in the secondary.

Two weeks ago, the Washington Redskins made a roster move that has ended up paying dividends on the field. They seemingly cut ties with an aging and expensive veteran while managing to get cheap-talent to produce like well-compensated assets — the recipe for success in the NFL.

The Redskins benched veteran cornerback Josh Norman after his tumultuous start to the season showed no signs of getting better, and they opted to move third-year CB Fabian Moreau from the slot to the outside corner position.

So far, that decision has proved invaluable for the Redskins, but not just on the football field; it will likely lighten the load on their wallet as time goes on as well.

Moreau has excelled in the last two games, where he has three interceptions in total. Not only does his play on the field look highly-appealing to the coaches, but his cap hit off the field is also enticing to the front office. Whereas Norman has a $15 million price tag on his person, Moreau is still on his rookie deal for one more season. That alone is reason enough to ride with the young gun going forward.

The truth is, the Redskins have to be feeling pretty great about their secondary for the next few years. Assuming they cut bait with Norman this offseason — a move that has all of the writing on the wall — they will have a young trio of corners who are easy on the salary cap and successful on the field. Opposite Moreau is Quinton Dunbar, who has risen to be one of the top corners in the NFL this year while only costing the franchise $4.5 million in 2020. In the slot is rookie Jimmy Moreland, who will be on his rookie deal for a couple more seasons. Should Washington be able to keep this trio together for the next year or two, they’ll be looking at excellent production for a bargain — in 2020, the three of them combined would be making about $6 million.

Assuming that the secondary continues to improve as time goes on, the Redskins will eventually have to shell out some cash to their young pass-defenders. But for now, Washington has found a way to get cheap talent to produce like well-compensated assets, and that’s the recipe for success in the NFL.

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Quinton Dunbar can lead this talented young secondary into a bright future

The Redskins saw a glimpse of what their young cornerbacks can do in Sunday’s victory, and it was highly encouraging at times.

The Washington Redskins’ defense was not perfect in Sunday’s win against the Detroit Lions, but they were good when they needed to be.

In total, they gave up 364 total yards — split pretty evenly between passing and rushing — but they only allowed that to turn into 16 points. They came up with four turnovers at opportune times, and the special teams got in on the action with a 91-yard kick return from Steven Sims Jr.

After it was announced that veteran cornerback Josh Norman would not start on Sunday, the focus shifted to the young defensive backs on the roster; Jimmy Moreland and Fabian Moreau. With high expectations for the future, and finally a chance to prove their mettle, the two young players stepped up in a major way. Moreau picked off two passes from Lions QB Jeff Driskel, Quinton Dunbar’s interception late interception set up Washington’s go-ahead scoring drive with 20 seconds remaining, and Moreland finished with six tackles and a defended pass.

It’s safe to say the young core stepped up to the challenge.

“We always throw flashes out there,” Dunbar said, via The Athletic. “You got young Jimmy. Fabian is still young. For them guys to show up against some top tier receivers in Marvin Jones and (Kenny Golliday) … They’re capable of playing in this league at a high level. Now I’m not going to let them slack. That’s always going to be my job, to get on them and let them know we can’t get complacent.”

Dunbar is a perfect player to be leading this young group, as he has risen to become one of the better cornerbacks in all of football this season. He seems to have a grasp on the talent that Washington has in the secondary, and with the right guidance, there is a bright future ahead.

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All signs point towards Josh Norman’s eventual exit in Washington

Norman was benched before Sunday’s game and played a minimal role on special teams, signaling his time in Washington is almost up.

Depending on who you talk to about the circumstances surrounding Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman, you might get different answers.

Interim head coach Bill Callahan will tell you that Norman has been playing injured for much of the season, and that’s why he was benched in Sunday’s 19-16 victory over the Detroit Lions — Washington’s first win at FedEx field since 2018. Defensive Coordinator Greg Manusky might tell you that the benching came out of frustration, and a desire to get more repetitions for young players on the roster, like Jimmy Moreland, who started the game on Sunday.

Fans will likely tell you they don’t care why he sat, rather they are just happy to see him anywhere but the field.

Whatever you may hear, a new story is coming out now about Norman’s status in Washington, and it’s got all signs pointing towards an offseason exit.  According to Ben Standig with The Athletic, Norman was benched for his lack of performance, and the decision was made all the way back in the middle of last week, before he popped up on the injury report as questionable on Friday; before he was reported as inactive, then as active, on Sunday morning.

“I love Josh, and I’m proud of him in the way he’s handled things,” Callahan said, via The Athletic. “He’s a true pro in a lot of ways, and you can’t say enough about his professionalism.”

He may handle things the right way in the locker room, always doing what’s best for the team in the current situation, but the same couldn’t be said for his performance on Sunday. While he was relegated to some minimal special teams work, Norman…played at his own pace against the Lions.

According to Standig, Norman was given the choice as to whether or not he would be active or not, and with some contract incentives in mind, the veteran CB chose to suit up. He literally was there to cash a check, and little else.

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Will Josh Norman play, or is it Jimmy Moreland’s time to take the reins?

Norman was active, then inactive, then active once again, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see ‘The People’s Corner’ get the start over him.

The Washington Redskins were in the news early and often on Sunday morning after news broke that veteran cornerback Josh Norman would be labeled as a healthy scratch for the game vs. the Detroit Lions.

The inactive label was reportedly coming down after defensive coordinator Greg Manusky had some rather harsh words for Norman earlier this week, saying that he didn’t know what more the team could do to put the defense in a spot to succeed, and at some point the players had to make plays.

However, in a twist that could only come out of Washington, the Redskins changed course and made Norman active for the game, sitting down CB Aaron Colvin instead. But does that mean that Norman will play much in this game?

No, we don’t think so, and we hope not.

Though it hasn’t been confirmed by the team, some buzz in Washington has rookie CB Jimmy Moreland slated to make the first start of his career, which is highly anticipated after the breakout preseason he had. If this is true, then Norman might be able to take the field in an emergency, but the Redskins would likely ride with the rookie for as long as possible.

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