An Ode to Ryan Kerrigan

August 25, 2022

By Paul Francis

With the Washington Commanders era getting into full swing, it represents a turning of the page for our football team.  Gone are the days of players making mental mistakes, on-field confusion, poor execution, and third-down mishaps.

Errrrrrrrrrrr…if only.

Let’s just forget about that last preseason game.  Today, I’m bringing into focus a topic that I believe can unite and uplift all Redskins-WFT-Commanders fans from past and present in a spirit of good will: an homage to recently retired team legend Ryan Kerrigan.

Yes, I said “legend”, and I don’t use that word lightly.  Had Kerrigan had the fortune of playing his career during the era of Joe Gibbs, instead of the era of Mike Shanahan-Jay Gruden-Bill Callahan–Ron Rivera, we might be talking about a locked-in first ballot Hall of Famer on the level of Darrell Green.  Well, probably not THAT level, but you get the point.  Kerrigan was consistently excellent, and often so without much help around him.

Drafted 16^th overall in 2011 by the Washington Redskins, Kerrigan was a decorated college prospect with high hopes.  And he immediately hit the ground running.  In his first-ever start as a rookie in the Redskins season opener against NFC East rivals Giants, Kerrigan announced his NFL arrival with a highlight-reel-tipped-pass-pick-6 to go along with 5 tackles.  The following week, he logged 3 tackles, 2 pass deflections and his first career sack against the Arizona Cardinals.  Those games set the tone for a decade of strong, consistent play for a franchise that would experience consistent turmoil and upheaval.

He endured a carousel of coaches, schemes – he switched from a 3-4 outside linebacker to a 4-3 defensive end – and institutional misadventures from 2011-2021.  But through it all, Kerrigan steadily displayed all the attributes that you admire in a football player.  He brought the work ethic, mentality, and character of a pro’s pro.  On the field, he did not have a weakness in his game.  He was equally effective as a run-stopper and pass-rusher.  Never a free-lancing stat chaser, he executed his assignments and played with team discipline.  But he did so at such a high level that the stats came to him.

Along the way, he recorded 457 total tackles, 95.5 sacks, 26 forced fumbles, 25 passes defended and three interceptions across 172 appearances.  He was voted to the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team and a 4x Pro Bowl selection.  He holds the Washington franchise record for sacks, and he holds the NFL Ironman record for a Left DE/OLB with 139 consecutive starts.  It took 9 seasons and a concussion to finally knock him out of the lineup.

When Washington did not extend another one-year contract to Kerrigan in 2021, I thought it was a big mistake.  On a team going through big transitions, and a defensive line filled with young up and coming players, I felt like the veteran presence and professional example of someone like Ryan Kerrigan would be invaluable.  Not to mention the fact that the year prior, he was 3^rd on the team in sacks as a part-time player.  He could still fill an important niche as situational pass-rusher.  But alas, the team did not make an offer to Kerrigan.  Instead, he played for peanuts for some forgettable team up I-95 North somewhere.  I think last season, as the overall effectiveness of the defensive line dipped, Kerrigan was missed a lot more than was let on.  And I think recent events back that up.

Even in retirement, Kerrigan is giving what he can to the Washington Commanders.  After being welcomed back to Ashburn as a motivational speaker at training camp, Kerrigan spoke with the coaching staff about his desire to explore coaching.  He was invited to stick around and shadow the staff.  The urgency of better defensive line play went up a notch, when Ron Rivera suddenly announced the mid-camp firing of longtime assistant defen coach Sam Mills III.  In announcing the elevation of Jeff Zgonina, Rivera also said that Kerrigan would remain around the facility to continue shadowing the coaches.

Is there a more formal role in store for Kerrigan in the near future?  I hope so.  He is uniquely positioned as a franchise legend and embodies a legacy that connects the Redskins, WFT and Commanders eras.  That’s special, and if there’s an opportunity to formalize his presence with the Commanders, then they should do it.  It’s the kind of thing that this franchise badly needs, as it hemorrhages faithful longtime fans who have been alienated by all the organizational rebranding and upheaval.   But more than just an ambassador with symbolic significance, Kerrigan can still “take command” of the respect of the players themselves, as evidenced by their own words. (Quotes courtesy of Washington Post):

Chase Young: “(Ryan Kerrigan) is a guy I looked up to since middle school, so it was definitely an honor just to play with him.”

Jonathan Allen: “Ever since I got to the league, I’ve been trying to emulate what (Ryan Kerrigan) does. I’ve been his shadow for the last couple of years.”

Daron Payne: “Everything (Ryan Kerrigan) does is the right way to do things, and you can learn so much from him if you just sit back and watch him.  I appreciate him, I love him to death and I’m just happy that I got a chance to play with him.”

If Ron Rivera wants to find a guy that can help get through to this talented, yet underachieving, unit; he seems to have him served up on a burgundy and gold platter, yeah?

When standout Pro Bowl defensive end Simeon Rice was mired in a contract dispute with the atrocious Arizona Cardinals, he famously said that Arizona was the armpit of the NFL, and he was the deodorant.  That same analogy could apply to Ryan Kerrigan and the Washington era he played in. Of course, Kerrigan was too much of a stand-up guy to ever say something like that to the press, but it’s true.

For almost a decade, Ryan Kerrigan gave Washington a reason to watch games and feel proud, even when we had every reason to tune out.  He was the uniquely perfect blend of character and talent that transcended the circumstances around him, and it’s clear he has the desire to inspire and teach others to do the same.  If the Washington Commanders hope to have future success, they need players like Ryan.  So why not begin by having those players tutored by…Ryan Kerrigan?

A true Washington legend past, present, and hopefully future.  Hail.