Ryan Kerrigan is a Washington legend. There was a lot of heartbreak and disappointment in Dan Snyder’s 24 years as Washington’s owner, but Kerrigan was one of the bright spots.
A first-round pick in 2011, Kerrigan spent 10 seasons in the burgundy and gold before Ron Rivera inexplicably allowed him to depart for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021. After one season with the Eagles, Kerrigan announced his retirement and quickly joined Rivera’s coaching staff ahead of the 2022 season.
While initially joining to see if he wanted a career in coaching, the Commanders fired former defensive line coach Sam Mills III and promoted Jeff Zgonina to replace him. Rivera promoted Kerrigan to replace Zgonina, and he’s been a full-time coach since.
Rivera was fired last month and replaced by Dan Quinn. Quinn spent the next few weeks putting together his coaching staff and retained four coaches from Rivera’s staff — Kerrigan was one of those coaches.
Kerrigan’s new title is Assistant Linebackers Coach/Pass Rush Specialist.
This week, Kerrigan spoke about returning under a new coaching staff.
“I’m very excited,” Kerrigan said. “Coach Quinn has brought a really good jolt of energy to the program, and I’m excited to get going with it.”
What about new defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr?
“Coach Whitt has been very energetic in our meetings,” he said. “Same with Coach Quinn, so we’re excited to get going and get the ball rolling.”
RK back in D.C.
Ryan Kerrigan is one of the holdovers from the Ron Rivera coaching staff.@_nataliespala spoke with RK today.
Kerrigan said, "Coach Quinn has brought a jolt of energy to the program. I'm excited to get going with it." pic.twitter.com/Hq5lDmr5lu
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) February 21, 2024
Kerrigan spoke about what was next for Washington’s new coaching staff: player evaluation. Having Kerrigan return is a bonus for Quinn and new GM Adam Peters because he’s been here and knows the roster well.
Kerrigan can offer his opinion on Washington’s current linebacker group and the defensive line. What does he think of young defensive ends K.J. Henry and Andre Jones Jr? Which free-agent defensive end should the Commanders bring back between Casey Toohill and James Smith-Williams?
While it was a difficult 2023 season, and the franchise needed change, it’s good to see Kerrigan back in the burgundy and gold.
