Before linebacker Junior Galette tore his Achilles last offseason, Redskins fans were expecting a borderline dominant pass-rush from him and Ryan Kerrigan. Though the injury put those hopes on hold for a year, Galette's return this season has fans excited once again. And they're not the only ones.
Kerrigan is also excited about what Galette can bring to this defense. An Achilles injury is typically a tricky road bump to return from quickly, but Kerrigan thinks Galette looks fantastic in offseason workouts.
"He looks as explosive as ever," Kerrigan said in a recent interview. "He looks strong. He's kept his weight on, which is good because that's always a struggle when you have surgery and you can't train like you normally can. So he's looked good and, I mean, he's still got four months until the season and I imagine by the time the season rolls around he's going to look great."
Washington is hoping Galette can contribute to what they view as an improving pass-rush. There's a football adage that claims you always need three guys who can get home in the playoffs. Right now, Washington has Kerrigan and Preston Smith, who led all rookies in sacks last season with 8.0. Outside of that duo, though, there isn't anyone on this defense who can consistently get to opposing QBs.
Trent Murphy, a 2014 second-rounder, is being moved to the defensive line to add more inside push and Washington is doing their due diligence on pass-rushing prospects in the upcoming draft. But Galette, who notched 22.0 sacks in his last two healthy seasons, can be a real game-changer.
"It's definitely a very exciting prospect to have, because you could tell early in training camp last year that this guy would have been a difference-maker for us," Kerrigan said. "It stunk when he got hurt, because any time you have an injury like that to a player like that, it's really hard on your team. But having him out there, it should make up better up front, better all over the field defensively."
Follow Brandon Katz at @Great_Katzby
