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Washington Redskins: Top 30 players in franchise history

By Ian Cummings

2 Dec 2001: Darrell Green #28 of the Washington Redskins reacts during the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Fed-Ex Field in Landover, Maryland. The Cowboys defeated the Redskins with a final score of 20-14. Digital Image. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire/ALLSPORT
2 Dec 2001: Darrell Green #28 of the Washington Redskins reacts during the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Fed-Ex Field in Landover, Maryland. The Cowboys defeated the Redskins with a final score of 20-14. Digital Image. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire/ALLSPORT /
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Dexter Manley, Washington Redskins
17 Jan 1988: Washington Redskins defensive linemen Dave Butz (center) and Dexter Manley (left) combine to sack Minnesota Vikings quarterback Wade Wilson during a playoff game at RFK Stadium in Washington, D. C. The Redskins won the game, 17-10. Mandator /

The Redskins’ defensive line was a force to be reckoned with in the 1980s, with players like Dave Butz and Charles Mann wreaking havoc on opposing offensive lines. In today’s NFL, the Redskins’ defensive line seems to be growing closer to that past reputation, but there’s one player they’ll never have the luxury of employing.

The Secretary of Defense. Dexter Manley.

Standing at 6-foot-3, 252 pounds, Manley was the prototypical edge rusher. And so when his time came to suit up with the Redskins, he didn’t waste any time producing solid numbers on the field. By 1983, his third season, Manley had cracked double-digit sacks, and he did so for four straight seasons, hitting a peak in 1986, when he broke the Redskins’ franchise sack record with 18.5 in a season.

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His career would slope to a close beyond that point, but Manley still remained for a spell as a solid contributor on the defensive line. He closed out his career with 97.5 official sacks, but in 1981, the year before sacks became an official statistic, he accounted for 6.0 more. So, unofficially, Dexter Manley is a part of the 100 sacks club. He’s the only longtime Redskins player to uphold that honor. But in the years to come, that could change.

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