Washington Redskins Should Activate Receiver Santana Moss to Spark Offense

The Washington Redskins, off to a disappointing 1-3 start, are at a critical point in the NFL season and need to make some changes to spark the offense so teams react to them rather than the other way around. One of those changes could be to activate veteran wide receiver Santana Moss.

The Redskins host the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks Monday night followed by a game against the Arizona Cardinals (3-1) on the road. Then after a home matchup with the Tennessee Titans, the Redskins will visit division rival Dallas (4-1).

With a quarter of the regular season complete, the Redskins have been inconsistent in all three phases of the game.

The Redskins offense, even with quarterback Robert Griffin III and tight end Jordan Reed injured, still boasts an abundance of quality skill players. Many NFL teams would be happy to have running backs Alfred Morris and Roy Helu as well as wide receivers DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Andre Roberts.

Although the Redskins offense is ranked fourth in the NFL, the statistics are misleading because in two games, the unit failed to show up, and another was against the winless Jacksonville Jaguars. The Redskins offense needs to do even better and make the most of its talent because of the inconsistency of the defense and poor special teams play.

Redskins coach Jay Gruden needs to play Moss, who has been inactive for all four games. As the third-leading receiver in Redskins history, Moss should still be productive in certain situations. He has been reliable in the slot and able to get behind defenses in certain spots over the last couple of seasons.

In 2012, Moss led the Redskins with eight touchdown catches. Last season, he had 42 receptions. Moss, 35, has played in all 16 games five of the past six seasons. In fact, Moss has averaged 12.3 yards per catch since the beginning of 2012, the same exact average Garcon has produced in that time frame.

Gruden has been playing Aldrick Robinson and rookie Ryan Grant ahead of Moss, which is a bit insulting and disrespectful. He should do this only when the playoffs are out of reach. The speedy Robinson has one catch for six yards, while Grant, who excels at running routes, has five, all against the hapless Jaguars. Moss excels on the football field, and he’s a better overall player than both Robinson and Grant.

Since RGIII dislocated his ankle against Jacksonville in Week 2, Kirk Cousins has led the Redskins. While Cousins played well until a 45-14 loss to the New York Giants in Week 4, that game revealed that he may not become the next Tom Brady, as some Redskins fans had hoped.

Cousins completes a lot of passes, but too many end up going to the wrong team, with 15 interceptions in 11 career games. He needs to throw a fair amount of short, quick passes because of his inexperience and the inconsistency of the offensive line. Moss is adept at catching passes near the line of scrimmage, taking off and gaining whatever the defense gives him.

Gruden made a mistake by playing Robinson and Grant ahead of Moss in the first four games. Moss may very well have moved the chains with some clutch catches and runs that could have helped the Redskins get another win. Gruden needs to play his best players instead of the ones with the best measurables.

Moss the Cowboy Killer has just three weeks to get ready for Dallas.

Article also posted at Examiner.com.