Redskins: Four players Trending Up in week 5
Oct 4, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford (7) is sacked by Washington Redskins outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (91) and Redskins outside linebacker Trent Murphy (93) in the final seconds of the fourth quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
4. Trent Murphy, OLB
The light bulb just might be starting to click on for Redskins outside linebacker Trent Murphy as he had arguably is best game so far in his short Redskins career. Murphy showed last season that he’s a good defender against the run but now there are indications his pass rushing skills are improving as well.
Murphy recorded a late sack on Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford and displayed the kind of hand movement and explosiveness off the edge that hadn’t shown up to that point. This is a very positive sign for the Redskins defense.
They lost pass rusher Junior Galette to an Achilles injury in the preseason just when it seemed as though he and Ryan Kerrigan would form a dynamic pass rushing duo, so it was important that Murphy and rookie Preston Smith step up in his wake.
Smith has done some good things so far in his rookie season but it seems as though Trent Murphy is coming on now too, giving Redskins defensive coordinator Joe Barry some nice options to turn to in generating pressure on the quarterback.