As we all know, Howie Roseman prides himself at having depth along the defensive line. Following a season in which the Eagles recorded 49 sacks as a team, third-most in the league, they’ve went out and acquired a very familiar face to add some extra depth at the defensive end position.
Via his Instagram, former Washington pass rusher Ryan Kerrigan announced he’s joining the Eagles.
Kerrigan’s deal with the Eagles is for one year and is worth up to $3.5 million.
Kerrigan is certainly not the premiere pass rusher he once was, but he displayed last season that he still has enough juice to be a situational pass rusher along a defensive line. Which is exactly what he’ll be asked to do here in Philly. Despite starting only one game and playing in just 38 percent of his team’s snaps last season, Kerrigan still managed to record 5.5 sacks and six QB hits. Two of those sacks coming against the Eagles.
Over his 10-year career in Washington, Kerrigan accumulated 95.5 sacks, 13.5 of those came against the Eagles.
Kerrigan has primarily played in 3-4 defensive scheme as an outside linebacker throughout his career, but he has two years under his belt in which he played the traditional defensive end position. I wouldn’t look into this signing as an indication that the Eagles could rely on some 3-4 looks this year, but it’s always good to have some flexibility at the position.
Kerrigan will join an already solid defensive end room in Philly. Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat, and now, Kerrigan.
The Eagles may still have issues on the backend of their defense, but the best way to mitigate subpar coverage is to get relentless pressure on the quarterback. It looks like the Eagles front office is betting on their front four to carry the load once again this season.
5 comments