Thaddeus Moss Ready to Make a Name For Himself

It is never easy trying to make a path in the NFL as an undrafted free agent. It is even harder when you have the same last name as a Hall of Fame wide receiver and the expectations put on you are sky high. Rookie tight end Thaddeus Moss is finding himself in this exact situation. Thaddeus spoke with D.C. media on May 13, 2020 and a wide range of topics were covered, including what it is like to have Randy as his father and how Thaddeus is going to approach his career.

Highlights:

• Answered questions and made sure to answer the full question
• Knows the type of player he wants to be and not going to let his last name dictate what he knows he is good at
• Cincinnati and New England reached out post-draft, but chose Washington because they reached out first
• Awareness of how he needs to study and understand the playbook better at the NFL level
• Randy is going to let his son play and not interfere with advice unless Thaddeus asks him for it
• Looking forward to playing with Saahdiq Charles and blocking alongside him like at LSU

On his last name being ‘Moss’
He said he has embraced the fact that he is Randy Moss’ son. He’s always had a target on his back, he said, and he’s learned to live with it.

Why did you choose Washington and were you disappointed in not being drafted?
Washington was the firs team that contacted him and meant a lot to Moss and going to stick with them. Absolutely disappointed not being drafted and felt like a slap in the face to him.
…As soon as the draft was over, they were the first one to contact me, was not contacted during the draft.

Who did Moss hear from from Washington?
Couldn’t remember bceause emotions were all over the place.

How’s your knee, there was a report that he fell because of the procedure?
Where Moss is at with the rehab and saw the best doctors for the surgery (foot). Ahead of schedule with his rehab. Everything is going great and will be ready to go once things start up day 1…Dr. Anderson in Green Bay one week after the draft.

What was it like working alongside Charles and have you spoken with him?
Not only teammates, but also one of Moss’ best friends off the field. A blessing to still be on the same team and chasing dreams together. Talk to Charles almost everyday. On top of that in being teammates, they have played next to each other and having reps together.

What do you know about Charles that color your impressions on him?
Reliable teammate and a great teammate first. Could always rely on Charles to get the job done and have the answers. As a teammate that is all you can ask for. He’s going to do great his first year in Washington

What do you hope to prove to teams that didn’t draft you?
Not going about this to prove teams wrong, but just rpoving myself right. Trying to go out there to be the best football player and teammate I can be. Still a rookie, so getting in there and adjusting to the learning curve to earn keep on the team. Everything will trake care of itself.

What have you learned form going through the virtual rookie camp?
It’s been different having online meetings. It’s different learning football this way and a different type of learning and different type of studying being over these virtual meetings.

Have not learned yet how the coaches are going to want to use Moss, just learning the playbooks.

Have you had to change your study habits to pick up the offense in a different way?
I’ve had to change how to learn the playbook just from going to the NFL from college because it’s a lot of information. Have about 25 pages worth of notes and that has become a habit since coming to NFL that he didn’t do in college.

Once the draft ends there is a scramble to get priority undrafted signed. How did the Redskins approach you and how maybe they sweetened the pot to sign?
We have 3 teams right here (Cincinnati and New England the other two) and the Redskins called first and Moss wanted the team that wanted him first.

At the Combine, Moss talked about what he likes the most at TE is the run blocking, you’re not at rookie mini-camp showing them with the pads on, how do you let them know that when you have to fight for a roster spot?
They’ll know when the time comes and put the pads on. Already with the season LSU had last year, and Moss, everyone has a good idea of what he can do.

Coming into the NFL to establish your own legacy, how much is that a driving force to get off to a great start?
That is definitely the approach Moss is taking. That is what he told his dad (Randy) during the draft, and moss told his dad that this is no different then what he has had to do his whole life. People have doubted him based on his last name with expectations. Not a whole lot of expectations except to just play football. A lot of people think that Thaddeus was handed a lot of things, but that was the opposite and a ‘con’ to it, but looking forward to the opportunity to work for everything no matter how long his career is.

What conversations have you had with Adrian Peterson and what is that going to be like knowing he played with your dad?
Haven’t had any conversations with anyone on the team. Reached out to Dwayne to introduce himself, he hasn’t really been able to speak to anyone. But, with Peterson, having played with his dad, he is not going to go up and introduce himself to him.

Talked a bit about Randy, from your perspective what about your game going to stand out and what kind of identity are you hoping to build in the league?
I’m hoping to build my own identity and tired of the comparisons to his father. Looking forward to making a name for himself and working for everything.

What’s the biggest piece of advice Randy has given you and are you ready for him to critique you on TV once you start playing?
To be honest, he doesn’t give advice unless Thaddeus asks him. The critique he gets on TV will not be what he gets from his father when they were in the car or after practice. He can only say so much on TV and not worried about that.