Washington Football Team: Ryan Kerrigan leaves behind a rich legacy

The Heartbreak Kid is signing elsewhere this offseason. Ryan Kerrigan leaves behind a rich legacy as a member of the Washington Football Team.

Ryan Kerrigan’s time with the Washington Football Team has come to an end. The franchise’s all-time sack leader will be on a new team in 2021 after announcing he was joining the Philadelphia Eagles on Instagram. For the first time since he was drafted, Ryan Kerrigan will not be in the nation’s capital.

So, what is the legacy that Kerrigan will leave from his time with the Washington Football Team? His 95.5 sacks, four pro bowl appearances, and numerous big-time plays can explain much of that question. However, that does not begin to really explain what Kerrigan meant to the Washington Football Team.

To fully understand what Kerrigan meant to Washington, it is best to understand how Washington was during Kerrigan’s tenure with the team.

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Three terms come to mind to describe the Washington Football Team during Kerrigan’s 10-year career with the team: turmoil, unreliability, and pure chaos.

Ryan Kerrigan played for three different head coaches, multiple position coaches, and 12 different quarterbacks lined up under center during his tenure. The teammates he lined up next to on the defensive line changed consistently and it was not until the tail end of Kerrigan’s tenure in Washington that the rest of the defensive line matched his level of play and character.

And in his last year with the team, the team’s namesake that had been donned for 80+ years was retired. There were reports discussing the toxic culture of the team, and there were continuous battles in court between the owner and previous members of the organization as a constant reminder of how tumultuous Washington was, and in some ways, still is.

The team was constantly changing and was always unpredictable. Yet, Ryan Kerrigan was the antithesis of what his employer was. He was reliable and steady. He missed a total of four games in his 10-year career with Washington.

He constantly played hard, always giving everything he had. While Kerrigan was never one of the elites of his position — that title belonged to people like Von Miller and Khalil Mack — he still produced at a Pro Bowl level. He was as consistent as they came, on one of the most inconsistent teams in the NFL.

Washington Football Team fans never knew what to expect from their team on a given Sunday. But they knew one thing. They knew 91 was going to line up across from the opposing team’s tackle and give it everything he had.

And at some point, he was going to make a play. He would use his top-notch strength to bull rush the tackle into the backfield and sack the quarterback. Then he would do his signature sack dance.

Even in his last year where he became a rotational pass rusher behind Montez Sweat and Chase Young, only playing 38% of the defensive snaps, he still produced. He totaled 5.5 sacks and 13 QB pressures. And like always, he never complained.

He never complained about playing time just like he never complained about the performance of the team or his contract.

Ryan Kerrigan will be remembered in the record books for passing Dexter Manley as the franchise’s all-time sack leader. But to those who watched his entire 10-year career unfold, he will be remembered as the exact opposite of the unreliable franchise he played for. Ryan Kerrigan was reliable, productive, and a leader.

Next. Breaking down WFT's running backs for 2021. dark

That is Ryan Kerrigan’s Washington Football Team legacy.

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