Redskins Training Camp Profile: EDGE Pernell McPhee

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CHICAGO, IL – NOVEMBER 27: Pernell McPhee #92 of the Chicago Bears grabs onto Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans in the third quarter at Soldier Field on November 27, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

What McPhee must show at training camp

McPhee is set to replace a player that quickly became a fan favorite last year, Junior Galette. The former Saint finally returned from consecutive Achilles tears and was able to put a lot of heat on opposing quarterbacks thanks to his plethora of pass rushing moves. McPhee is a very different player from Galette, and he’ll need to show that style can work in Washington’s defense.

Whereas Galette tends to use a combination of speed, length, and athleticism to get into the backfield, McPhee’s game is based more on strength and physicality. He’s a stout 6-foot-3, 265-pound player with above-average strength for the rush linebacker position. McPhee uses that to his advantage, and that’s why he’s such a well-rounded player.

McPhee is a do-it-all type of player who does just as well against the run as he does rushing the passer. He likes to set a physical edge, and that helps him to make stops in the run game. This type of addition should bode well for the Redskins defense.

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To inspire confidence that the Redskins made the right move by adding McPhee, he is going to have to show that he can still bully opposing offensive linemen. Frequently, he would use his strength to bull rush against top tackles when he was at his peak. As a result, he should show an affinity for collapsing the pocket from the B-gap and could work as a hybrid inside/outside defender. If he can show this above-average functional strength, there is a good chance that he could be an impact player for the Redskins.

Beyond this, McPhee has to quell concerns about his health. McPhee hasn’t played a full season since 2014 and has missed 10 combined games over the past two seasons. Given the issues that the Redskins had with injuries last season, it would be nice to see McPhee fully healthy to start training camp, as he shouldn’t suffer as much damage if he’s playing in limited snaps as a backup.

McPhee appears to be in the driver’s seat and should have a good chance to prove that he was a worthwhile investment. That said, he still will have to beat out some other players just to ensure that he can keep his role with the squad.

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