Atlanta Falcons: Ryan Kerrigan would be a great addition

The Atlanta Falcons need to make major upgrades when it comes to pass rush.

Atlanta Falcons have taken endless swings at adding pass rush specialists over the years and haven’t had any success – Vic Beasley, Takk McKinley, and Dante Fowler Jr have all been really bad misses for the franchise.

While Dante Fowler should get another shot to prove his worth and hopefully will stay healthy to do so, the team needs to find affordable yet effective options in free agency. While players like JJ Watt get the headlines there are other options.

Ryan Kerrigan can be the answer.

Kerrigan may be one of the most underappreciated pass rushers in the league. While he is certainly a well-known name, most people probably don’t fully understand how excellent he has been since entering the league as a first-round pick ten years ago.

Part of that is probably because he has been stuck on the Washington Football Team, but not anymore.

Kerrigan and the Football Team are parting ways this off-season after he saw a dramatic drop in playing time in 2020. He received only one start and played in 39 percent of defensive snaps after playing in 79 percent two years ago.

At 32, does Ryan Kerrigan have anything to offer the Atlanta Falcons

The Washington Football Team recently spent first-round picks on both Chase Young and Montez Sweat. With a new coaching staff and in a rebuild mode it made more sense to see what the young guys have than to keep relying on Kerrigan.

On a team like the Atlanta Falcons, he could easily take on a much larger role as a primary pass rusher.

He was fully healthy all year and while he only played in a limited role he still logged 5.5 sacks, more than any player on the Falcons.

To give some comparison on just how good Kerrigan has been taking a quick look at a player Falcons fans should be familiar with, Dwight Freeney.

While Freeney was 36 when the Falcons signed him in 2016 he was still an effective pass rusher in a limited role. He was widely recognized as one of the premier pass rushers throughout his career. Kerrigan should be in the same conversation but sadly has not been.

Just for some perspective on their careers, Freeney played in 149 games through his first ten seasons and had 102 sacks, 304 combined tackles, and 116 tackles for loss. Kerrigan in the same time frame played in 156 games and tallied, 95.5 sacks, 454 combined tackles, and 119 tackles for loss. Surprising close for the difference in recognition the two players receive.

At 32 years old Kerrigan has expressed his desire to be a starter and to continue playing for multiple years. While the Falcons are tight against the cap this is an easy move to make. His last contract was worth 11.5 million a year and at 32 it should be the ceiling for his next contract.

The expected floor should be around what Everson Griffin received from the Lions/Cowboys last year, one year six million dollars. If the Falcons start the conversation at six per year and offer multiple years it can be a very affordable contract, even if it ends up being closer to the eight million per year range.

Kerrigan not only has a ton left to offer on the field, but his experience and leadership would be huge for a team like the Atlanta Falcons who have struggled to find any sort of stability in its pass rush.