Carolina Panthers should target Morgan Moses on one condition

Morgan Moses would be a top pickup for the Carolina Panthers providing the player is willing to make a move over to left tackle in 2021.

The Carolina Panthers still have some questions to answer on their offensive line. They brought in some nice pieces in free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft, but if the team truly wants their new quarterback Sam Darnold to succeed following his trade from the New York Jets, things need to improve from a protection standpoint sooner rather than later.

Whether the Panthers are going to make do with what they have for the present time remains to be seen. There has been nothing to suggest Carolina isn’t going to give everybody an opportunity during OTAs, training camp, and the preseason. But a recent arrival to the free agency pool might make them think twice about bolstering their options.

The Washington Football Team released tackle Morgan Moses after failing to find a trade partner last week. This was something of a surprise considering the player’s production in 2020 and if any team across the league is looking for a plug-and-play starter then his name should arguably be first on the shortlist.

Carolina moved up in the third round to acquire Brady Christensen out of BYU, who was the highest ever graded linemen in college football according to Pro Football Focus. However, there are some real concerns about his arm length against more dominant edge rushers at the next level and it’s not like he came up against the sternest of competition before entering the pro ranks.

Could Morgan Moses transition to LT with the Carolina Panthers?

Moses has played the entirety of his career at right tackle. The Panthers have one of the best in the business occupying this spot in Taylor Moton, who is on the franchise tag as the team continues to work on a long-term extension for the former second-round pick.

Whether Moton could move over to the blindside is up for debate. It would take a significant amount of maneuvering from either player if the Panthers went in this direction, which might do more harm than good in the long run.

If Carolina managed to acquire Moses with the spare money at their disposal, it could reap instant rewards. This would allow them to move Christensen onto the interior where he is far better suited, with players such as Deonte Brown, John Miller, Cam Erving, and Pat Elflein fighting for the other guard spot alongside center Matt Paradis.

This is an opinion that was shared by Brent Sobleski of The Bleacher Report, who named the Panthers as one of the top landing spots for Moses. However, the writer also highlighted the potential complications with moving him to left tackle with no real experience at the position.

"“Is Moses’ signing an ideal fit for him or the team? No. At the same time, the veteran blocker’s addition would give the Carolina Panthers their best option to play left tackle. His addition would create a functional front five to see what Darnold has and allot Carolina’s talented skill-position performers room to operate.”"

Much will depend on the sort of money Moses is after.

The third-round pick in 2014 gave up five sacks and conceded six penalties from 1,065 snaps in 2020 on his way to an outstanding 80.6 grade from Pro Football Focus. So there could be more left in the tank regarding a player who is now on the wrong side of 30.

There are far worse avenues the Panthers could go down if they choose to reinforce their offensive line before competitive action gets underway. Moses has proven to be a high-quality tackle over a prolonged period of time, although some common ground needs to be found between the player, Carolina, and Moton before he potentially comes on board.

Moses and Moton would be the bookend presence Carolina have lacked for some time. Nobody would welcome this move more than Darnold, who needs all the help he can get in pursuit of proving his doubters wrong in 2021.

This would inevitably mean a sacrifice to make room for Moses. But the Panthers could easily shift one of the fringe linemen in favor of someone with the scope to be a productive starter.