When the Washington Redskins drafted DE Chase Young with the No. 2 overall pick in 2020, many took it as a sign that the end was near for Redskins legend Ryan Kerrigan.
With a generation pass rusher now competing with him for snaps, coupled with the fact that Kerrigan had a down year in a 2019 season that was ended with an injury that caused him to miss the first starts of his long career in Washington, it was hard not to look for the writing on the wall.
However, there’s one way to spin the addition of Young into a way where Kerrigan is actually the better for it now that he is able to focus on one thing, and one thing only. NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay broke it down well:
For the first time in his career Kerrigan likely won’t be the focal point of the Redskins defensive front. In fact, with Young, Sweat, Ryan Anderson and a gang of talent rushing from the interior like Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen and Matt Ioannidis, Kerrigan might be a bit of an afterthought.
That’s a great place for him to be.
Focused just on rushing the passer and without being asked to chase running backs and tight ends downfield in pass coverage, Kerrigan can play to his strengths. And strength is his strength.
Though he isn’t expected to crack the starting rotation once the season starts — which is wild to think about — Kerrigan can in turn revert to a situational rusher, much like Chris Long with the New England Patriots. With more rest between snaps, less injury risk, and a hunger to prove that he is still in his prime, don’t be shocked to see Kerrigan do some big things in 2020.
