Sometimes, when reaching the end of something, there’s a temptation to reminisce about the journey. Before retiring, C.J. Mosley entertained the idea of coming home. He wanted one final run with the Baltimore Ravens, but when that didn’t work out, he determined he’d hang up the cleats and call it an NFL career.
The latter part of his NFL career was spent with the New York Jets, but it’s clear that Mosley’s loyalty remained with the Baltimore Ravens, as evidenced by his achievements. Four of his five Second-Team All-Pro selections and four of his five Pro Bowl appearances were earned while wearing a Ravens jersey.
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In addition to the 579 tackles, 8.5 sacks, nine interceptions, and six forced fumbles he racked up in five seasons with Baltimore, he was a Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team honoree. He was a joy to watch. Now, imagine none of that ever happening. A recent NFL Draft redo ships him off to do all of that work for someone else.
Ravens land tackle Morgan Moses in a 2014 NFL Draft redo
With training camp approaching and Ravens content dropping all over the place, Pro Football Focus tried its hand at an NFL Draft redo and rewrote some of Baltimore’s history in the process.
Mosley landed with the Chicago Bears at 14. The Ravens land offensive tackle Morgan Moses three spots later at 17. Max Chadwick, Dalton Wasserman, and Trevor Sikkema are the co-writers of this one, and here’s how they describe both selections.
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On the Bears‘ acquisition of Mosley, the following explanation is offered:
“The Bears desperately needed defensive help in the 2014 NFL Draft, and the recently retired C.J. Mosley could’ve led a turnaround. The five-time second-team All-Pro was a consistent force, earning at least a 66.8 PFF overall grade in all but one of his NFL campaigns.
Mosley’s final full season, 2023, was his best: He ranked sixth in the NFL with an 82.9 PFF overall grade, buoyed by a position-leading 90.6 PFF coverage grade.”
On Moses finding his way to Baltimore a little earlier than his story wrote, PFF says this:
“Mosley is off the board, so the Ravens select Moses, who dominated in a short stint in Baltimore. With the Ravens in 2022 and 2023, he was the fourth-most-valuable tackle in the league, according to PFF WAR. The only three tackles ranked above Moses were Penei Sewell, Trent Williams, and Lane Johnson — all multiple-time first-team All-Pros.”
Moses was a great player. As you know, he signed with the Baltimore Ravens and spent three years with the team, joining as a free agent during the 2022 NFL offseason. He played well, but he wasn’t quite on the same level as Mosley. That said, even if we could rewrite history, we would choose to leave things exactly as they were.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Ravens pay dearly in 2014 redraft and are robbed of a franchise legend