The Redskins didn’t sign any big free agents or use a high draft pick on any outside linebackers this offseason, but hopes are high that the team is going to get better support for Ryan Kerrigan at the position than they got for most of last season.
A pair of returning players are the reason for that optimism. Preston Smith is heading into his second season and has drawn good reviews from defensive coordinator Joe Barry for his work after coming alive late last year. Smith had five sacks in the final three weeks of the regular season, something Kerrigan said was a result of changes Smith realized he had to make if he was going to succeed in the NFL. Kerrigan said those changes have carried over into the offseason.
“It’s cool to see that from a second-year guy who came in and had to change some things about him and how he approached football,” Kerrigan said, via the team’s website. “Who better to lead than someone who saw that one way wasn’t working and found a way that was working, so that’s been impressive.”
The Redskins are also getting Junior Galette back from a torn Achilles and Kerrigan says the veteran “looks awesome” in offseason workouts. Should he return with the same abilities that helped him to 22 sacks over the 2013 and 2014 seasons, there’s no shortage of reasons for optimism that an improved pass rush will be part of this year’s push for an NFC East title.
