Redskins' Scherff, Moses developing in tandem

The right side of the Washington Redskins' offensive line is young and looking to develop a reliable tandem to protect quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Brandon Scherff, the fifth overall pick in last year's draft, made huge strides in his rookie season while pairing with Morgan Moses - who had one previous start - allowing only 27 sacks. That was good for fourth best in the league.

"We were in pretty much the same situation, so we were able to learn together," Moses said recently, according to Stephen Czarda of the Redskins' official website. "Now, being out here and having a season under our belt of starting and being able to play together again is good. We're growing together every year and every day we're out here working on techniques. Like Brandon said in the first three days of OTAs, we probably communicated more than we did all season so that’s a good sign."

With Moses and Scherff developing into one of the most promising young right sides in the league, offensive coordinator Bill Callahan chalked up their success to good communication.

"Their relationship on and off the field is imperative, and to have a strong sense of what each other can do and how they can play off of each other bodes well for them," Callahan said. "The communication and the nuances of adjustments they have to make during the course of a series or a play itself. The communication has got to get echoed out and that's all important information and obviously they do a great job with it."

Franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins has also taken note of the two, echoing popular sentiments about keeping continuity on the line in order to improve.

"They've done a great job," Cousins said. "Coach Callahan is excellent and - I think I mentioned this last week - the more reps you get together with the same guy next to you is very beneficial. And the more times you see the same play over and over again against different defenses - the movement and how you handle it - the better you're going to be. Both of them are big, strong, athletic guys that the more they see, the better they're going to get and we expect great things from that side for a long time."

Scherff was a slightly controversial pick, as many impressive options were available at that spot, including New York Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams and Atlanta Falcons pass-rusher Vic Beasley. But it seems the guard, who could still move to tackle at some point in his career, is anchoring an improving offensive line, an undeniably important factor in changing the franchise's fortunes.