Redskins Position Group Breakdown: Outside Linebackers

The outside linebackers for Washington are entering, as a whole, a critical season because of who’s a part of the group. From Preston Smith, who’s been by far the most inconsistent outside linebacker out of the group, to Ryan Kerrigan who’s been the most effective OLB but struggles to finish at the quarterback consistently, the group needs to have a season where each backer is making a big play weekly.

The positive about this group is that of the 39 sacks the defense had, the outside linebackers accounted for 25, or 64%, of the teams total sacks. The negatives of the group are what makes this a critical year for the group.

The negatives include not being able to apply consistent pressure on the passer, mainly in critical situations. Yes, the group accounted for 25 sacks; however, there are periods in games and even weeks when individuals are not able to apply pressure to the quarterback. Preston Smith finished the season with 5 sacks on the year, Trent Murphy with 9, and Ryan Kerrigan with 11.

Games without a sack:

Preston Smith – 11, with 2 being in last 4 games of the season.

Trent Murphy – 7, with 3 being in last 4 games of the season.

Ryan Kerrigan – 6, with 3 being the last 3 games of the season.

The other negative was the inability to keep contain on the edge, as quarterbacks easily fooled the outside linebackers on bootlegs or when left unblocked on read option looks. There have been countless times where the offenses have had their way on the edge because of that, and the lack of speed at the position made it difficult for a player to recover.

The surprise of the group:

Trent Murphy was surprisingly good last season. After two disappointing seasons as a 2nd round pick in 2014, his development seemed to show in his play. His play in 2016 has, for the meantime, been negated due to a 4 game suspension to start the season because of PED use. It’s up to him to show in his contract year that 2016 was no fluke, and his development has shown he’s worth an extension here in Washington.

Who must step up?

Preston Smith is the biggest, and most obvious name in this group. Smith has been underwhelming as another 2nd round pick for Washington. This 3rd year is a major year for him, as Ryan Anderson is waiting in the wings to possibly take over as a starter sooner rather than later. Outside of a late season hot streak in 2015, his rookie year, Smith for has been mightily inconsistent in his pro career. He’s able to apply some pressure but rarely finishes with the sack, which is the most important part of rushing the passer. The positives with Smith, however, is that he’s good against the run game and is consistent at doing that.

Junior Galette is another player who must step up this season. Galette has missed his first 2 seasons as a Redskin due to tears in both his Achilles. Galette recently stated that he was not looking to return to his old form, but to be better than that. The good thing about Junior since being here is that you know he’s motivated and itching to get back on the field, but at this point with Galette it’s put up or shut up. He has to prove he’s first capable of staying healthy, then prove he’s capable of being that game changer the Redskins signed him to be in 2015.

 

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