Washington Redskins 2018 season edge rusher grades

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 30: Ryan Kerrigan #91 of the Washington Redskins prepares to take the field before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField on December 30, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 30: Ryan Kerrigan #91 of the Washington Redskins prepares to take the field before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField on December 30, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 6
Next
LANDOVER, MD – DECEMBER 30: Ryan Kerrigan #91 of the Washington Redskins prepares to take the field before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField on December 30, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – DECEMBER 30: Ryan Kerrigan #91 of the Washington Redskins prepares to take the field before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField on December 30, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

Modern NFL philosophy holds that the most important positions in football deal with fueling and stopping the passing game.

On offense, the most important player, by that standard, is obviously the quarterback. The next most important after that? The offensive line. And the receivers. And then the running back, and the tight end.

On defense, the pecking order of relevance is more subjective, and driven by player ability, but the edge rusher is universally regarded as one of the most important positions on defense, when attempting to stop a high-powered passing game.

The Washington Redskins have long taken pride in their ability to crush the edge. For almost a decade now, Ryan Kerrigan has been one of the most consistent starters in the NFL, amassing a reputation as one of the best edge rushers ever to don the burgundy and gold.

With Kerrigan aging, however, an emphasis has been placed on finding his running mate and eventual replacement. Did anyone live up to that title in 2018? Let’s take a look at the grades for the Redskins edge rushers in 2018.