Junior Galette’s ability compared to Preston Smith, Ryan Anderson
Galette had what some would consider a breakout season in 2017 (considering his snap count, that is). He could very well be an upgrade for the team if his form is still there.
Galette only had three sacks in 2017, but Preston only had four last season on twice the snaps. Galette received just over 400 snaps in 2017. That’s approximately half the snaps of a full-time rush linebacker, but he showed no signs of being limited to that amount of playing time.
In those snaps Galette played that season, he received a Pro Football Focus pass rushing grade of 85.2. That was good for 12th in the league with players with over 250 snaps. He also racked up an outrageous number of pressures at 37.
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Comparatively, Preston Smith had a PFF pass rush rating of 68.4 in 2018. His run defense may have been slightly better, but his overall grade was 76.9. That was good enough for just above average and 19th among edge rushers. Although Smith is a well-rounded young player in both run and pass situations, he has yet to flash in either category.
The Redskins also have Ryan Anderson. It has been a bandwagon thing for Redskins fans to hate on Anderson because they are told to hate him. But, Anderson had a PFF rating of 86.8 in spot duty last year (164 defensive snaps). That’s almost 10 points higher than Smith’s.
Despite his affinity for negative press, Anderson proved to be an above average, well-rounded, football player. He would be the perfect complement to Galette if the Redskins were to bring Galette back.