Washington Redskins: Top 5 acquisitions based on instant impact

Of the offseason acquisitions that Washington has made, Pernell McPhee is one of the more under-the-radar players. The former Chicago Bear signed a very cheap deal to come to the Redskins and essentially replace Junior Galette. In terms of fit, the team couldn’t have picked a better player.

Over the course of his NFL career, McPhee has thrived as a rotational pass rusher, and even was a solid starter at times. From 2014 to 2017, McPhee recorded at least four sacks in every season. This may not seem great, but considering that he only played in 52 games with 17 starts during that time, it’s fairly good.

McPhee is going to take over Galette’s role from 2017 as the primary backup pass rusher. Galette thrived in this role spelling Preston Smith and Ryan Kerrigan, and he did a lot to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. McPhee is built a little differently than Galette, and relies more on strength than athleticism to be a great pass rusher, but he should be able to have similar results while playing next to a couple of star edge men.

The big question surrounding McPhee will always be about his health. He missed 12 games over the past three seasons with the Bears, and was at less than 100 percent for several other contests. He has to make sure that he can stay on the field. And if he can, that will be a positive for the Redskins.

McPhee is going to have an impact in a different way than most on this list. He’s going to seamlessly replace a player who was excellent for the team last year. McPhee has the skills necessary to do this, and he should continue to keep the Redskins pass rush strong for another season. Their rotation will continue to be very good with him on board.