Simulating the Washington Football Team’s entire 2021 offseason

Key Departures

The departure that will hurt Washington fans the most is Ryan Kerrigan. The lifelong WFTer will likely see his Washington career come to an end this offseason.

Simply put, Washington doesn’t need Kerrigan anymore. He’s a terrific sub-package pass-rusher for the team behind Chase Young and Montez Sweat, but Kerrigan wants more playing time and probably wants to be compensated at the level of a starter/top backup. Washington can’t afford to do that with so many paydays coming due on the defensive line.

So, Kerrigan will likely go play somewhere else. Teams are always in need of good pass rushers, and contenders always like to add veteran pieces to try to help them get to the Super Bowl. Teams like the Ravens, Bills, Titans, Seahawks, and Rams should be interested in his services.

Ryan Anderson will also leave the team. His departure won’t sting as much. The former second-round pick was largely a bust for Washington. He found his footing during his third season in the team’s 3-4 defense but didn’t fit Jack Del Rio’s scheme. Expect to see him look for a role as an edge-setting run stopper in a 3-4 defense that can occasionally get to the quarterback.

The only starter we didn’t retain was Kevin Pierre-Louis. While the 2020 free-agent signee was solid as a role player, he wanted too much money in the simulation to return. So, we let him walk and resolved to add linebacker talent in the draft.

Linebacker Thomas Davis also wasn’t re-signed. He’s likely to retire. His impact on the field in his age-37 season was minimal, but his presence in the locker room was important for the team’s young players and Rivera. His voice will be missed and that’s part of the reason that keeping Alex Smith as a veteran leader may be important for this squad.

The holes that these departures opened up mostly came at linebacker, as James Smith-Williams and Casey Toohill are ready for bigger backup roles on the team’s defensive line. So, we moved onto free agency to see if we could plug in some of Washington’s biggest problem spots.