Washington Football Team: Potential trade suitors for EDGE Ryan Kerrigan

Washington Football Team EDGE Ryan Kerrigan. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Football Team EDGE Ryan Kerrigan. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 20, 2020; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks strong safety Jamal Adams (33) celebrates with defensive end Benson Mayowa (95) after making a tackle against the New England Patriots during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 20, 2020; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks strong safety Jamal Adams (33) celebrates with defensive end Benson Mayowa (95) after making a tackle against the New England Patriots during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks have always seemed like a natural suitor for Kerrigan. The team has usually been noted for their defense, but they have one massive weakness on that side of the ball this year.

So far in 2020, the Seahawks haven’t been able to field a competitive pass rush at all. After letting Jadeveon Clowney walk in free agency, the Seahawks decided to rely on a collection of journeymen and draft picks LJ Collier and Alton Robinson at the edge position. That hasn’t worked.

Before Week 8, the team had only nine sacks on the season. Jamal Adams, a defensive back, had two of them. So, it’s clear that the defensive line isn’t doing enough, and that’s part of the reason that the Seahawks decided to trade for Carlos Dunlap. They acquired the veteran in hopes of bolstering that unit.

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If Kerrigan is available for a similar price, they could go after him as well. Dunlap and Kerrigan would be an older but formidable pass rushing unit. Even if both played only 50 percent of the snaps or so, they would still get plenty of pressure and would allow the veterans, like Benson Mayowa, to settle into backup roles in a quality rotation.

By fielding a stronger pass rush, the Seahawks would see their whole defense improve. Their secondary, which has a lot of talent, wouldn’t have to guard receivers as long and thus, would be able to force incompletions easier. And their linebackers would be free to play in coverage more as opposed to being solely used as blitzers to help the pass rush succeed.

Seattle is a win-now team in one of the toughest divisions in football. They should be interested in finding any upgrade they can to ensure they have a shot at the No. 1 seed in the postseason. They could have a better chance at that with an upgraded pass rush, so if they surrender a late-round pick for Kerrigan, it could prove to be worth it for this contender.