Redskins officially sign edge rusher Pernell McPhee to a deal
Pernell McPhee has officially agreed to a deal with the Washington Redskins. This move was expected, and it is a quality one.
The Redskins made their third solid signing of the offseason on Monday afternoon. The team agreed to sign edge rusher Pernell McPhee to their roster. While details of the contract are not yet known, McPhee will certainly be a solid get for the team.
Over the course of the past few years, McPhee has been a quality rotational rusher in a 3-4 defense. In three years with the Chicago Bears, McPhee recorded 14 sacks in 36 games and generally was an effective all-around player when on the field. The issue for him was injuries, as he missed 12 games with various maladies over the course of his career with the Bears. Still, he is a quality player and he will have a chance to play a role with the Redskins.
Earlier in the week, it was reported that the Redskins had rescinded their offer to Junior Galette. After three years in Washington and a very good 2017 season, Galette probably wanted more money than what the Redskins were giving. Additionally, he probably wanted a chance to start for a team, and he wouldn’t be afforded that opportunity with the Redskins. Thus, a split was sensible.
On paper, McPhee is a strong replacement for Galette. McPhee can offer decent, rotational pass rushing ability and will also be very good against the run. Ideally, he can provide some rest for Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith like Galette did so often last season. And he should easily be able to do that.
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While the Redskins will miss Galette, it’s likely that McPhee will fill his role just fine. And it’s also likely that McPhee will come at a discounted price, as he wasn’t quite as good as Galette was last season. Signing McPhee instead of Galette will almost certainly save money against the cap, and that will give the Redskins a chance to target another potential starter in free agency. Ideally, they could go after Johnathan Hankins, but it’s not sounding like they are going to work out a deal with him, per NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay. That would be a mistake, but perhaps something will change in the coming days.
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No matter what, McPhee is a fine add. He’s as solid of a replacement for Galette as the team could get, so adding him to a cheap, short-term deal as they likely did was a good move. He can serve as the third pass rusher and may be able to mentor Ryan Anderson and help turn him into a player similar to himself. Greg Manusky will find a way to use Galette, so it’s another good move by the Redskins front office this offseason.