Washington Redskins: Can Fabian Moreau emerge as No. 2 cornerback?

After parting ways with Orlando Scandrick, the Washington Redskins hope to get more out Fabian Moreau in his second NFL season.

The Washington Redskins released veteran cornerback Orlando Scandrick on Tuesday. The move came as a bit of a surprise considering Scandrick signed a two-year deal with the team back in March to offset the trade of Kendall Fuller. The 31-year old corner was seeing reps with the starting defense during the first three weeks of training camp, but now the team appears ready to head in a different direction.

All eyes are now centered on second-year player Fabian Moreau, who will have the opportunity to step in as the starter in Scandrick’s absence.

Moreau was limited to 59 snaps as a rookie, but is now poised to start opposite of All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman. The UCLA product finished with only seven tackles and one pass deflection in 2017. However, he is one of the few remaining corners left from last season after Bashaud Breeland was allowed to walk in free agency.

The job won’t be handed to Moreau as the Redskins have been pleased with the performances of Greg Stroman, Adonis Alexander, and Quinton Dunbar. Head coach Jay Gruden stated that the emergence of his young players certainly played a role in the decision to release Scandrick.

Gruden later commented on Moreau’s progress thus far in camp, affirming his confidence in the former Bruin.

While Gruden is high on his young prospects, he’s aware he will likely have to rely on Norman and an unproven Moreau down the stretch. Norman, who has 10 career interceptions, appears comfortable with Moreau starting opposite of him.

Per Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post, he expects a second-year jump from the 24-year old corner out of UCLA:

"“[Moreau has] grown a lot,” said Norman. “He’s gotten more confident. You can see his ability to go out there and  … now it’s just going out and being consistent with what he has and continuing to grow. That’s the thing. We have faith in him and believe that he can hold that down. That’s maybe one of the reasons why Scandrick’s probably not here.”"

During Gruden’s press conference ahead of Tuesday’s practice, he emphasized the importance of getting more reps for his young secondary. Washington will take on the New York Jets this Thursday in their second preseason game. Moreau could see an increase from the 15 snaps he played during last week’s 26-17 loss to the New England Patriots.