Dylan Moses Played This Past Season With a Torn Meniscus

The 2020 season was one where Alabama improved defensively seemingly every game they played in as the season went on. However, for one of the fixtures of the Crimson Tide defense of the past few years, it seemed to become more of a struggle each week the season went on.

Now, we may finally have a reason why. During a Zoom call with reporters, Dylan Moses revealed he played through the majority of his senior season with a torn meniscus which was not diagnosed until after the national championship game against Ohio State. Moses said he had surgery to repair the tear on February 9.

After Moses tore his ACL in fall camp before the 2019 season, many suspected he had already played his last game in an Alabama uniform and that Moses would elect to rehab and prepare for the draft.

Instead however, Moses announced on Instagram in late December of 2019 that he was electing to return for his senior season and attempt to win another national championship with his teammates after a bitterly disappointing finish to the 2019 season where the Tide ultimately fell short of the College Football Playoff.

In coming back and completing his senior season which culminated in a national championship, Moses accomplished everything he sought to in his return.

But for most of the season, it seemed like something was off with Moses's game. He was still an effective play maker and was critical in signal calling and leading the defense, but it seemed like for much of the year Moses lacked that final athletic gear that made him such a highly touted recruit.

Moses believes that the injury occurred during a week three matchup against Mississippi State, a game in which he put up 13 tackles.

"That’s when I really started feeling it," Moses said Monday. "It was said that it was a bone bruise, but it kept bothering me throughout the year. I just never really spoke up about it. I’m the type of person that’s like if I’m in pain, I never wanna leave the field, so I just didn’t say anything about it."

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While many suspected Moses just was not the same after his 2019 ACL injury, it turns out that he was playing through a second major injury while coming back from the first.

Head coach Nick Saban said that he was unaware that Moses had a meniscus tear, but that it speaks to Moses's character and perseverance to overcome an injury like that and continue to play.

With Alabama's second pro day coming on Tuesday, Moses will not participate in any drills and will only interview for teams. Once thought of as a potential top-ten pick, Moses was already likely going to fall out of the first round and this latest news could drop his stock even further.

While Moses was certainly not quite the same player in 2020 that he had been in years past, he is still hopeful to be a mid-round pick in the upcoming draft. With so many uncertainties surrounding him, only one thing is for certain: Dylan Moses gave absolutely everything he had for his teammates, for the coaching staff, and for the Alabama family as a whole.