Even though the New England Patriots selected their right tackle of the future in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft, they are not yet ready to hand Caleb Lomu the keys to the position.
While the youngster has seen extensive action both during organized team activities and mandatory minicamp, incumbent Morgan Moses still remains the team’s top right tackle. And even though he has not spent a lot of time in that role during the four open practices so far this spring, it is all part of the Patriots’
plan.
“We are just managing Morgan and are excited that he is so committed to our football team and the people here,” head coach Mike Vrabel explained on Wednesday.
“Just a positive addition last year, and he will have a plan through training camp. It’s a long season. He was important to us, and he will be very important to us going forward. So, just trying to make sure that we manage him. Figure that every rep now is probably one less that he may take in the season. We want to try to get him to a point where he is ready to go and give each guy exactly what they need. Everybody will have a plan.”
A veteran of 11 NFL seasons at the time, Moses joined the Patriots via a three-year, $24 million free agency deal last March. He went on to start all 21 of his new club’s games en route to an appearance in the Super Bowl, and proved both his durability as well as his abilities on and off the field.
New England wants to see all three again this coming season, which is why his exposure has been reduced over the last few weeks. Nonetheless, his impact on the team overall remains significant.
Just ask the aforementioned Caleb Lomu.
“He’s been around a ton, and he’s been one of the biggest helps for me, especially coming in, not knowing the playbook, just as a rookie,” Lomu said after Wednesday’s practice, a session Moses sat out.
“So many years in the league, he knows what to expect and he’s been guiding me a lot through these practices and meetings that we have. He’s been a huge help, and it’s been awesome to be able to have him and his experience in the room to be able to help me grow as a rookie and to get to the places where I want to be.”
