Redskins stay or go: WR Santana Moss

Position/name: WR/Santana Moss  
Age: 34
2013 cap number: $4 million
2013 stats: 42 receptions, 452 yards, 2 touchdowns

Background: Moss’s career is winding down. That cannot be debated. What the Redskins must decide, however, is this: does the slot receiver have enough left to help them win in 2014? Last season, Moss recorded the lowest yards per catch average of his career (10.8) and, with eight drops, ranked 83rd in catch percentage (54.5), according to ProFootballFocus.com. Off the field, though, Moss is a locker room leader and a mentor to the team’s young players. He also shared the Media Good Guy Award for routinely answering reporters’ tough questions as the losses mounted.  Still, the question remains: Does the good outweigh the bad?

El-Bashir: Stay—It’s usually a bad business decision to re-sign an older player after his production drops off as precipitously as Moss’ did in 2013. But to me, if there ever were a reason to make an exception to that rule, Moss is it. The reason? Veteran leadership will be critical in a rebuilding year and, with London Fletcher retiring, Moss is the logical successor. Remember when Moss called out Robert Griffin III for not accepting enough responsibility? Few players had enough juice to say something like that. And you know what? It worked; RG3’s tone changed. In the long run, RG3 will be a better teammate because of what Moss said. On the field, Moss should be good for 500 snaps, 40 receptions and 400-plus yards. I say sign him to an affordable, short-term deal. He’ll earn it with his presence alone.

Tandler: Go—I certainly get the importance of locker room leadership and Moss has been one of the best on and off the field since joining the team in 2005. But all good things must come to an end and 2014 is the years for Moss’ Redskins career to end. He had the worst season of his career in 2013 after having the second- and third-worst years of his career the two previous seasons. He turns 35 on June 1 and the chances of him getting better are as slim as those of RG3 and Mike Shanahan vacationing together in Cabo. The Redskins need to move on and give those snaps to a younger player. Yes there will be a leadership vacuum in the locker room but such situations have a way of working themselves out. I didn’t notice Pierre Garçon having much problem being blunt about Griffin’s struggles last year. 


(csnwashington.com)