Washington Football Team training camp profiles: Edge rushers
By Ian Cummings
Ryan Kerrigan
Experience: 10th season
Draft Status: 2011 first-round pick, 16th overall
2019 Stats: 12 games, 12 starts, 25 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one pass deflection, 14 quarterback hits
2020 Outlook: Sacks aren’t everything when it comes to evaluating edge rushers, but it is notable that Ryan Kerrigan produced the lowest sack output of his career in 2019. He also failed to play and start all 16 games for the first time in his decade-long career.
The scheme change to a 4-3 alignment should help Kerrigan when he is on the field, as Kerrigan is much more natural as a pure defensive end. But he will lose some snaps to the tandem of first-round picks that now rests above him on the depth chart. He’ll still rotate in a great deal, but we might’ve seen the last of Kerrigan, the full-time starter.
Expected Role: Despite not starting full-time, Kerrigan will still have a vital role to perform on the Washington football team. He’s the top backup on the edge, and his presence will provide excellent security; it’ll essentially be like having three starters. Kerrigan’s experience can also help him serve as a mentor to his younger cohorts, so that they might match his impact in the years to come.
Status: *copy*:*copy*: “Do I even need to say it? Roster lock. Heavy-duty padlock.” *paste**paste*