Washington Football Team: Ryan Kerrigan signs with the Eagles

The Ryan Kerrigan era is over in Washington D.C. After 10 years, the former Washington Football Team edge rusher will be suiting up for another team.

And it will be another one in the NFC East.

Kerrigan posted on Instagram that he would be joining the Philadelphia Eagles.

This certainly stings for Washington Football Team fans, as Kerrigan has long been a fan favorite and was a pillar of consistency during what was, largely, a decade of dysfunction with the team. Seeing him leave was always going to be tough, but going to the Eagles is particularly painful.

Of course, Ryan Kerrigan was always going to leave the Washington Football Team.

Simply put, the team didn’t need to bring him back. With Chase Young and Montez Sweat firmly entrenched as the starters, Kerrigan would’ve had to settle for a backup role. That was something that he didn’t want to do, and Washington had some intriguing young options behind their top duo.

That group included James Smith-Williams and Casey Toohill, who flashed at times as rookies, and after the draft, William Bradley-King and Shaka Toney were available on the edge as well. Between those four players, Washington has more than enough depth to help replace Kerrigan.

There’s no doubt that Kerrigan was a legend for Washington. He is their all-time sack leader with 95.5 during his career and he never had fewer than 5.5 sacks in a game during his career. And during his decade in Washington, he missed only four total games.

As much as Washington didn’t need Kerrigan, it’s still sad to see him go. The defense is in good hands, but Kerrigan meant a lot to this franchise and fan base.

Had he gone to a team to chase a ring, that would’ve been one thing. But him going to another divisional team with no real title shot, just adds another layer of hurt to this departure.