Rookie tight end Thaddeus Moss said he chose to sign with the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent despite other offers he had from the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots.
Moss said he made the decision because the Redskins were the first team to call him after he wasn’t picked in the 2020 NFL Draft. He called not being drafted a “slap in the face.”
“As soon as the draft was over, they were the first team to contact me,” Moss told reporters Wednesday.
Moss, 22, had 47 catches for 570 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games last season at LSU. He also had two touchdowns in the College Football Playoff National Championship game. He caught all of those touchdown tosses from former Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow.
The Bengals picked Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Moss opted not to rejoin his college teammate in the NFL because the Bengals didn’t call him quickly enough after the draft.
“Having picked kickers and punters, special-teams guys getting picked over me, I definitely felt some type of way over it,” Moss said of the 2020 NFL Draft.
“It’s no difference. I’ve always had to prove myself my whole life, having the last name I have. I always had to prove everybody wrong or just prove myself right my whole life.”
Doctors found Moss had a broken foot during a physical at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. The 6-foot-1, 250-pound tight end already had not planned to work out at the combine. Moss had foot surgery in Green Bay, Wisc., and said he is ahead of schedule in his rehab from the injury. He also said he hopes to be ready to go when the Redskins resume on-field football activity.
NFL team facilities remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Rookies have met with their teams in video conferences.
Moss — the son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss — said he is “tired of” being compared to his father. Randy and Thaddeus watched the draft together. Randy was also an assistant coach for Thaddeus at Victory Christian Center School in Charlotte, N.C. Thaddeus said his dad only gives him advance when he asks for it.
“I’m just tired of the comparisons,” Thaddeus said. “Everybody keeps mentioning my father, mentioning his last name, but just the identity I want to make is my own identity. I look forward to making a name for myself.”
Moss will need to have a good pre-season and training camp if he hopes to make the Redskins’ roster and get snaps for the team in the near future. Washington signed veteran free agent tight ends Richard Rodgers and Logan Thomas this off-season. The Redskins also have veteran Jeremy Sprinkle on their roster. Vernon Davis retired and Jordan Reed was released in February.
Hale Hentges, Marcus Baugh and Jerome Cunningham are also on the Redskins’ depth chart at tight end.
