In the late summer months, as the sun bore down on the practice fields next to Gillette Stadium, New England Patriots offensive tackle Morgan Moses lingered.
Practices under new coach Mike Vrabel were long and physical. On some days, it was relentlessly hot. But Moses always stuck around after those training camp practices in July and August.
At 34, he’s the oldest player on the Patriots, one of the few who would have had a reasonable case to mail in some sessions or leave immediately after practice. But he always stayed.
That extra time on the field was a chance for him to mentor the team’s young offensive linemen, none of whom was more important than tackle Will Campbell, the fourth pick in last spring’s draft.
What started on those practice fields — Moses working with Campbell on pass-blocking sets and proper technique — has turned into one of the most important and, perhaps, surprising relationships on a tight-knit Patriots team that has pulled off the unthinkable. With Sunday’s win over the Broncos in Denver, New England is headed to Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, Calif.
Meanwhile, the team’s youngest and oldest players have formed a powerful bond as they bookend an offensive line tasked with protecting quarterback and MVP candidate Drake Maye. There’s not necessarily a lot in common between Campbell, a 22-year-old who went to college during the name, image and likeness era and discusses Fortnite with Moses’ kids, and Moses, a 12-year veteran who has been in the NFL so long he’s seen the Washington franchise that drafted him change its name three times. But they’ve become integral to the Patriots on the field and tight off it.
“As a young player, you hope to have a veteran like him to come into the locker room, learn from them, have a good relationship with them,” Campbell said. “I’m super grateful for him. I look up to him. He’s an amazing player. And an even better person.”
This was always the Patriots’ hope, even if their plan wasn’t this explicit. They signed Moses last offseason as a free agent, knowing he wasn’t a long-term fix at right tackle. But they knew he’d give them two things: stability and mentorship.
He’s been everything they hoped for. A leader on a young offensive line. And a rock at right tackle.
Moses once played 130 straight games over a seven-year stretch. He played 94 percent of the offensive snaps for the Patriots this season. Quietly, however, he has dealt with injuries. He never made a big deal of it.
Before the AFC Championship Game in Denver, Campbell went up to the veteran and thanked him for not missing time because of the bumps and bruises.
“Will came to me and was like, ‘I appreciate everything you do. A lot of guys your age wouldn’t play through some of the things that you play through,’” Moses said. “To hear that from a young guy that you took under your wing and tried to be the best veteran that you could to him, it was special.”
Campbell’s locker is next to Moses’ at the team facility. That was intentional. The Patriots have a long-term development plan for Campbell. He’s probably the team’s second-most-important player, behind only Maye. They wanted him to learn from Moses, to see what it takes to be consistent over a long career.
“He’s just everything that we’ve wanted him to be and needed him to be,” Vrabel said of Moses.
When Campbell suffered an MCL injury toward the end of the regular season, Moses brought a hyperbaric chamber to the team’s facility in an attempt to help expedite Campbell’s recovery. Moses gets plenty from the relationship, too.
“I feel like I’ve learned more from him than he’s learned from me,” Moses said. “Honestly. I’m a veteran guy, and I can still come in the locker room and learn certain things and get better. The sky is the limit for him.”
Moses’ three boys are often in the locker room after games, hanging with their dad. They’ve become friendly with Campbell, too, who is nearly closer in age to the boys than their dad.
But Campbell has come away with profound admiration for the way Moses has handled himself this season.
“He’s going to do whatever it takes to be on the field with this team,” Campbell said. “And I respect him so much for it. Because nothing is going to take him off that field unless he can’t walk. That’s how much he cares about this team. Everyone in this locker room feels the same way about him. We’re thrilled to have him on this team.”
Now, few players are as important to New England’s Super Bowl hopes as its two offensive tackles. The Patriots have been on an incredible run and have faced great defenses in the playoffs to reach this point. But the Seahawks’ unit might be the best of them all. The task ahead is massive.
New England’s offense hasn’t exactly lit it up this postseason. Maye has been just OK. The line has allowed 15 sacks in three games. The team is averaging just 18 points per contest. Maye and company will have their work cut out for them. So will Moses and Campbell.
But the Patriots didn’t get this far by leaning solely on talent. They outcoach teams. They trust each other. They’ve become a tight group because of relationships like the one formed between their youngest and oldest players.
Those two will spend the next week and a half together preparing for the biggest game of their lives. They’ll study together, practice together and go to meetings together.
It’s been a long journey since those hot summer days when Moses took Campbell under his wing.
“This has been everything I could have asked for coming into the league,” Campbell said.