Washington Football Team: Five players to watch in Week 2 vs. ARI
By Ian Cummings
No. 3 – EDGE Montez Sweat
The defensive line, specifically the edge rushers, are going to have their work cut out for them if they want to stop Kyler Murray. Murray is an incredibly dynamic, sudden, and creative running threat out of the pocket, and linemen will need to think ahead to counter him.
Even thinking ahead, however, might not be enough to stop Murray, who’s incredibly slippery at 5-foot-10, 207, and boasts sub-4.4 speed. Few players are that fast or explosive, but one player who might be able to match up with Murray, in his own way, is defensive end Montez Sweat.
Sweat is a looming behemoth at 6-foot-6, 262, and he logged a 4.41 40-yard dash time at last year’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis. He also sports excellent explosiveness numbers for a lineman, holding a 36-inch vertical and a 125-inch broad jump to his name.
Even then, Sweat isn’t as fast or agile as Murray, but in open space, as a long-strider, he can keep up better than most, and his length helps him make up ground in pursuit. With his physical traits, Sweat will be key in helping to contain Murray, and if Murray comes his way, he’ll have to disengage with blockers at the right times, in order to keep the signal caller from hitting open field consistently.