Redskins OLB Montez Sweat should excel as pass rusher with experience

Washington Redskins rookie OLB Montez Sweat has underwhelmed as a pass rusher two games into his rookie year. Should this be any cause for concern?

The Washington Redskins are just days away from a prime time matchup with the Bears on Monday Night Football. The team’s record currently sits at 0-2, with previous losses to the Eagles and Cowboys. A win for the burgundy and gold is much-needed to avoid a dreaded 0-3 start.

Though it’s still early in the season, the Redskins defense has struggled mightily. They have combined to allow 63 points, along with 910 total yards. Simply put, the performance of the unit has not been a recipe for success.

While the struggles on defense have been well-documented, making matters worse is that key players on the Redskins defense have not produced up to their capabilities.

Veteran cornerback Josh Norman has been a liability in coverage, outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan has not gotten consistent pressure off the edge, and defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis looks to be a little less effective with Jonathan Allen out due to injury.

Even though some of the veterans listed above have received the bulk of the scrutiny, the lack of pass rush displayed by rookie Montez Sweat has not gone unnoticed by followers of the team on social media. The former Mississippi State product has done well in defending the run, but has not yet been a force in getting after the quarterback.

After being selected by the Redskins in the first-round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Sweat was expected to come in and contribute early on for a defense that lacked a high-caliber edge rusher opposite Kerrigan after losing Preston Smith to the Packers in free agency.

While Montez Sweat has not recorded a sack just yet, there are plenty of reasons for optimism as he is only two games into his professional career.

In the first two contests of the season, Sweat was matched up against a couple of the better left tackles in the league. Both Jason Peters of the Eagles and Tyron Smith of the Cowboys have excelled at disrupting most edge rushers for years. Sweat has never faced this high level of competition on a football field in his life.

At Mississippi State, Sweat was able to predominantly use his size and freakish athleticism to terrorize opposing offenses. In his junior and senior seasons alone, he tallied a combined 22.5 sacks and 30.0 tackles for loss.

However, as a professional, Sweat must have a plan of attack against each offensive lineman he might face, in addition to using his elite physical traits. Professional offensive lineman are too athletic, and too talented to be beaten just on size and speed alone.

Should his lack of consistency as a pass rusher be cause for concern? Absolutely not. Look for Sweat to make steady progress with more experience as he continues to figure things out. Some of the better pass rushers in the NFL have struggled to find consistency in their rookie years, including Bears edge rusher Khalil Mack, who only had 4.0 sacks as a rookie with the Raiders.

On Monday night, Sweat will face another stiff challenge in Bears left tackle Charles Leno Jr. Facing Leno Jr. will be no easy task, but what better time is there to break out than in prime time. The Redskins sure could use a breakout game from Sweat and company in order to achieve their first win of the season.