By: Jake Rajala

The Washington Commanders legend, Ryan Kerrigan, officially hung up his worn-out cleats last off-season. It’s not a debate that Kerrigan (16th overall pick by Washington in the 2011 draft) was the face of the Commanders defense for millennia. The former Purdue edge rusher showed a heap of promise in his rookie season and then ousted his first Pro Bowl season as a sophomore. In his Washington journey, he unveiled a whopping eight seasons of 8.5 sacks (including four seasons of 11+ sacks). Furthermore, he registered eight seasons of at least 10+ QB hits and seven seasons of 10+ tackles for loss in the nation’s capital.

Let’s not forget his three career pick-sixes in white, gold, and burgundy.

Kerrigan fled to a different NFC East squad in his sophomore season (the Philadelphia Eagles). After having at least 5.5 sacks in every NFL season, he failed to record a mere sack in Philly in 2021. However, it’s undisputed that Kerrigan was a game-wrecker between 2012 & 2018. With that stated, there is a pivotal, intriguing question that surrounds the former Washington defender: Is Kerrigan a future Hall of Famer?

I sadly don’t forsee Kerrigan being cast into football heaven. Kerrigan doesn’t stack up well with Cameron Jordan, who isn’t currently projected to be a Hall of Famer, but only needs 2-3 more seasons of quality play to end in the HOF. Jordan has not only made seven Pro Bowl selections but he also cracked first-team All-Pro in 2017.

Kerrigan also never won a Super Bowl in his lifetime, which will make it hard for him to override his lack of top-end seasons. He may not finish with a HOF speech, but he will certainly be cast into the Washington Ring of Honor. 91 was a thrill for NFL fans to watch and a god in white, gold, and burgundy, to say the least.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Kansas City Chiefs were not close to being an impressive pass-rushing force last season. The Chiefs ranked 29th in sacks (31 sacks) — which trended in the opposite direction of their passing offense (fourth in passing yards and sixth in passing touchdowns). It was clear that KC needed to shop for more superb pass-rushing talent this off-season and I honestly believe the Steve Spagnuolo-led defense should feel more optimistic about their pass-rushing abilities in 2022.

The splash addition on the Chiefs DL is unequivocally the first-round pick George Karlaftis. The native of Athens, Greece certainly has the mentality to be a strong DROY candidate — as he dropped 10-15 pounds in the pre-draft process. The rook DE is also currently training with Patrick Mahomes. Bleacher Report compared Karlaftis to the legendary DE Ryan Kerrigan, who has seven seasons of 8.5+ sacks. It’s safe to say that Frank Clark will be delighted to see the 21-year-old edge rusher line up on the same DL as him.

Clark is aiming on making his fourth straight Pro Bowl appearance, but he will aim on having a bigger sack number in 2022. Clark had a mere 4.5 sacks in 2021 — which was his lowest sack tally since his rookie season. He also missed a career-high three games last season. So, a healthy & motivated Clark will aspire to return to the Pro Bowl w/ a double-digit sack number.

It should also be noted that the Chiefs best pass rusher and best defender Chris Jones wasn’t always available last season. Unfortunately, Jones also missed three games in 2021. Jones and Clark both made the Pro Bowl last season, while missing a chunk of games. The healthy DT-DE combo with a large, new friend from Greece should routinely lick their chops against opposing AFC quarterbacks that believe they can overshadow Patty Mahomes.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Los Angeles Rams made a creative, potentially life-saving decision with the trade for Von Miller last season. Unfortunately, the Rams were not able to retain the future HOF pass rusher. I expect the Rams to witness a return from the greek god-like DT Aaron Donald and they still have Leonard Floyd to hunt down quarterbacks.

Despite the Rams projected horses on their defensive front in 2022, they have been rumored to reel in a new pass rusher. Turf Show Times suggested that the Rams could reunite with Robert Quinn and Ramblin Fan believes that Carl Nassib would be a logical fit for the reigning Super Bowl Champions. With that said, I’m going to simply outline a few FA pass rusher targets for the Rams.

Carlos Dunlap

I believe that Sean McVay wants to make another splash signing. They have expressed interest in reuniting with Odell Beckham Jr, but I’d like to see LA prioritize a talented edge rusher to replace Miller. Carlos Dunlap registered 8.5 sacks for SEA last season and he could blossom in a better situation next season. Clowney is off the board and Dunlap should be the next pass rusher on McVay’s wishlist.

Ryan Kerrigan

I don’t love Ryan Kerrigan’s ceiling, but he may be an excellent value signing. If the Rams aren’t able to obtain Dunlap, I’d like to see the Super Bowl-needy Kerrigan ink a one-year contract with the Rams. Per NBC Sports, he had an injury-filled off-season in 2021 and he also wasn’t able to have a quality role on the Eagles defense in the 2021-2022 season. It should be noted that his 2021 campaign was his onle season without 5.5+ sacks. I believe the combination of the Rams Super Bowl chances and Kerrigan’s desire to win a SB should help the two sides join together.

Justin Houston

The former third-round draft Justin Houston has refused to quit in the late stages of his career. Houston had 11 sacks in 2019 (IND), 8 sacks in 2020 (IND), and 4.5 sacks for the Ravens last season. Houston is a well-rounded defender that could also be a great mentor for the likes of Chris Garrett. The four-time Pro Bowl selection could re-sign with the Ravens, return to KC, or join a different contender: perhaps the Rams dream team?

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By: Jake Rajala

The Seattle Seahawks cut ties with the pass rusher, Carlos Dunlap, this off-season and it’s clear they could benefit from the arrival of a QB hunter. I wouldn’t be shocked if John Schneider used his remaining resources (the 14th most cap space in NFL) to ink a pass rusher in this second week of May. With that said, I’m going to untwine five pass rushers that would be a great fit for the DE-needy SEA squad.

• Carlos Dunlap

Carlos Dunlap is still a phenomenal football player and he proved that last season with 8.5 sacks and 14 QB hits. Furthermore, Dunlap has familiarity with the Seahawks defense and that is important. I believe that many Seattle fans would rather witness Dunlap return than Jadeveon Clowney.

The idea of Dunlap returning to the Seahawks is a real possibility. According to Sports Illustrated, Dunlap was stated to potentially return to the Seahawks in late March. If he doesn’t get an overly attractive deal soon, it would make sense for him to reunite with the Seahawks in 2022.

• Ryan Kerrigan

I would rather see the Seahawks give Ryan Kerrigan an opportunity than pay a plethora of money to bring in Melvin Ingram. Kerrigan has 95.5 career sacks and he’s been a pillar of consistency in every season except 2021. In 2021, he failed to record 5.5+ sacks for the first time in his career. He could really be an affordable diamond in the rough for the Seahawks defense right now.

• Everson Griffen

The Vikings legend Everson Griffen might be the poor man’s version of Dunlap. Griffen (34) is nearly the same age as Dunlap (33) and a bit less productive over the past few seasons than Dunlap. Griffen may want to play with a Super Bowl contender, but the Seahawks could be aggressive for his services. The four-time Pro Bowl DE could be a wrecking ball for the Seahawks if they can’t strike a deal with their beloved Dunlap.

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The Atlanta Falcons surely have to improve their wide receiver position this offseason, but there is another key position that needs a jolt: edge rusher. The Falcons recently cut ties with Dante Fowler Jr. and it’s obvious they need a prominent edge rusher to replace Fowler Jr. and chase down quarterbacks with Grady Jarrett. So, which free-agent pass rushers could the Falcons target? Well, here are a few strong options for ATL.

Derek Barnett

The former first-round pick Derek Barnett could be a nice value pick-up for the Falcons. Barnett has quality athletic ability and he’s had flashes in his career leading up to this point. Barnett recorded 6.5 sacks in 2019 and 5.5 sacks in 2020, but he only ousted two sacks in 2021.

If the Falcons decide to draft a pass rusher in round one strike big with a free agent edge rusher like Clowney, I’d love to see the Falcons pick up Barnett. “The Savage” has penalty issues, but he has a lot of upside as a modest run defender and pass rusher.

Jason Pierre-Paul

The two-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers unleashed 9.5 sacks in 2021 but unveiled a career-low 2.5 sacks in 12 games with the Bucs last season. The rook Joe Tryon and Pro Bowl edge rusher Shaq Barrett were beneficial to the Bucs success on defense, but they didn’t help JPP dominate the stat sheet.

I believe JPP is a second-tier pass rusher that the Falcons could realistically sign. He has the experience and juice to help another NFC South team opposing QBs that try to match points with the Falcons offense.

Ryan Kerrigan

Ryan Kerrigan isn’t a sexy pass rusher at this stage in his career, but that could fall into the Falcons favor. Kerrigan unveiled 5.5+ sacks in every season up until 2021. The 2011 draft pick has made four Pro Bowls in his career.

He rotated in Barnett and Brandon Graham last season, so he didn’t have his usual amount of opportunities to shine (two games started). He is still a valuable depth piece and the Falcons could be another modest, intriguing fit for his services.

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