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Redskins: Why retaining Junior Galette should be a move to strongly consider

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 12: Running back Jerick McKinnon #21 of the Minnesota Vikings is tackled by linebacker Junior Galette #58 of the Washington Redskins during the fourth quarter at FedExField on November 12, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 12: Running back Jerick McKinnon #21 of the Minnesota Vikings is tackled by linebacker Junior Galette #58 of the Washington Redskins during the fourth quarter at FedExField on November 12, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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Junior Galette played his first full season in two years during the 2017 campaign. The Washington Redskins will have to consider keeping him after his strong performance.

Coming into the 2017 NFL season, Junior Galette was being given one last chance. The Redskins had inked him to a one-year deal to stay on the active roster despite missing the two previous seasons due to Achilles’ injuries. Galette hadn’t played a snap since 2014 with the Saints, when he recorded 10 sacks for the New Orleans defense.

During the 2017 season, Galette was able to stay on the field for all 16 games. He was one of the few Redskins to be able to do that, as the team was snake-bitten by injuries for a majority of the season. Galette functioned as the primary pass rushing backup and recorded three sacks. However, those numbers aren’t entirely indicative of how well he performed.

According to Matt Harmon of NFL.com, Galette was one of the best players in the league at generating pressure. He ranked near the top of the league in pressure rate, along with some familiar faces as can be seen in the table below.

Galette is in some fairly solid company up there, including defensive player of the year Aaron Donald and Dallas Cowboys star Demarcus Lawrence. However, the impressive part of Galette’s pressure rate and sack numbers are that he did it despite playing in just 219 snaps compared to the other players with larger sample sizes. Thus, it stands to reason that with more playing time, Galette’s figure could have potentially doubled.

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Of course, it’s also worth noting that there are two other Redskins in the top 10. Preston Smith ranks No. 1 overall while Ryan Kerrigan comes in at No. 10. Both are entrenched as the starters, as Smith has immense athletic upside while Kerrigan has been a steady contributor. But, if the team could retain Galette, they would have one of the most fearsome three man pass rush trios in the league.

Keeping Galette isn’t going to be easy, but it’s possible. The team may have bought themselves some goodwill with Galette by giving him multiple chances to stage a comeback. Most teams wouldn’t be that patient with a player, so that could end up being a positive.

Additionally, the team will have extra cap space this offseason to retain some of their players, as they were able to acquire Alex Smith and pay him at a lesser rate than that of Kirk Cousins. So, the team will have the financial resources to get the deal done.

There are a few questions regarding a potential return of Galette. The first relates to Smith, as he will soon be do for an extension. If given the choice between the two, the Redskins would likely rather retain Smith as he is younger, more athletic, and less injury prone than Galette. So, if push comes to shove and they need money for a Smith extension, re-signing Galette may not make much sense.

The other two questions surround the other two former second round picks. Trent Murphy is set to hit the free agent market, and he had nine sacks with the Redskins in 2016. Could the team elect to keep him over Galette? It’s possible. Also, the team has Ryan Anderson waiting in the wings. Though he didn’t show much as a pass rusher during his rookie year, he could be given a chance to prove himself as a top backup, and getting him playing time would give the team a better glimpse of what he can do.

Next: Redskins first round option - LB Roquan Smith

While the Redskins could have quality options at the position, re-signing Galette should still be an important item on their offseason wish list. They may have competition for him, but if they can retain him at a reasonable rate, he should continue to be one of the better rotational pass rushers in the league. And perhaps with another healthy offseason under his belt, he could even become a quality starter once again.

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