Redskins should have recently released pass rusher Ahmad Brooks on their radar

Ahmad Brooks was recently released the by the San Francisco 49ers. The Washington Redskins should have Brooks on their radar in case their depth at rush linebacker is tested.

The Washington Redskins have had some issues at the rush linebacker position over the course of the past few seasons. Since Brian Orakpo left the team to join the Tennessee Titans, the team has cycled through potential replacements. Two years ago, Preston Smith looked like the answer. Last season, Trent Murphy was great. But the team has lacked consistency at the position.

This offseason and preseason, Washington has endured similar issues. Right now, Smith is penciled in as the starter across from perennial Pro Bowler Ryan Kerrigan. Murphy is out for the season with a torn ACL and MCL. Behind the two projected starters, the team has unproven second round rookie Ryan Anderson and veteran Junior Galette, who has yet to play a snap for the Redskins in two years with the team. Galette has dealt with multiple Achilles tears and has battled a hamstring injury this offseason.

To put it nicely, the team lacks depth at the rush linebacker position. They have some promising young players in Smith and Anderson, but they don’t have a backup that they can truly rely on. For that reason, signing the recently released Ahmad Brooks should interest them.

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Brooks was cut by the San Francisco 49ers on Friday after eight seasons with the team. Over the course of his career in San Francisco, Brooks played in at least 13 games every season and always recorded at least five sacks. In the past two seasons, Brooks has played in 30 games and has totaled 12.5 sacks. He has been a bright spot on what has been a poor Redskins team.

However, Brooks has been regressing slowly but surely since he turned 30. Brooks’ athleticism is dwindling, and that will eventually preclude him from being an effective player. That said, Brooks is still a fine rotational player right now and would be an excellent fit in Washington.

For Washington, Brooks would be a veteran backup who would work mostly as a backup. The Redskins wouldn’t need him to function as anything more. But the team lacks consistent depth at the position. Galette is injury prone. Smith and Anderson are inexperienced. Brooks would be able to play a small number of snaps per game, but help the Redskins to create an effective rotation.

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The Redskins don’t need to sign Brooks right now. But they should at least monitor him now that he is a free agent. Perhaps if Galette continues to have health concerns, the team will choose to add Brooks to provide the veteran presence that the unit could use.