He’s waited seven months, what’s a few more days?
Ryan Kerrigan signed with the Eagles as a free agent on May 17, fresh off 10 years in Washington.
Sunday was supposed to be the day Kerrigan played his against former team until the NFL stepped in and postponed the game until Tuesday night due to a Covid outbreak on the Football Team.
It’s not like Kerrigan has been itching to play against the team that drafted him 16th overall in 2011 out of Purdue then went out and collected 95.5 career sacks.
“The significance for me is that it’s a division game and that we, both teams, are fighting to keep our seasons going once the regular season gets to a finish,” said the defensive end on Friday. “It’ll be cool to see some old friends and whatnot, but this is ultimately about the Eagles and Washington and it’s a significant game for both teams going forward.”
With both teams sitting at 6-7 in a top-heavy NFC, there are major playoff implications involved with the first of two meetings between the teams in a span of 12 days.
Kerrigan hasn’t really upheld his end of the bargain after the Eagles signed him to a one-year, $2.5 million free-agent contract.
He is still stuck on 95.5 career sacks.
Even the last two years, as Washington remade its defense, he still recorded 5.5 sacks in each of those seasons.
“It’s been tough at times,” he said. “Obviously, having to miss most of training camp with my thumb then trying to adjust to playing with that at the beginning of the season and still working to get the motion back, but it’s been challenging because the production hasn’t been what I wanted it to be and what I’m accustomed to doing.
“That’s been frustrating, that’s been challenging, but I’m proud of myself because I haven’t thrown in the towel and said this just isn’t working out. I’ve kept working. I’ve stuck to working hard and doing what I feel can put me in a good position to make plays. I have to make them ultimately.”
Kerrigan has just three tackles all season long. He said he was close to making an impactful play in a few games this year, including those against the Jets, Broncos, and Saints.
“At times I felt like I was in perfect position to make a play and I feel like in years past that play has happened, but for some reason this year it hasn’t,” said Kerrigan who will turn 34 next summer.
“This last week when we played the Jets, I came behind the guy, I hit the ball. He drops the ball but then catches it before it hits the ground. If he doesn’t catch it before it hits the ground, it’s s a forced fumble and that helps my production, but he happens to catch it before it hits the ground.
“I’m not deterred. I’m still working. There’s still four games left and I’m hoping to be productive for this team down the stretch and be a difference-maker.”
The Eagles could certainly use him.
They are thin at defensive end and, as well as the defense has played over the past month, climbing higher in several defensive categories, their sack total of 21 is anemic, a 1.6 average per game.
Kerrigan runs with the second team mostly, opposite rookie Tarron Jackson, but even then, he is rarely on the field.
He has had back-to-back games in early November where he took just 17 percent of the defensive snaps.
Against the Jets he saw 34 percent, which was his highest total since he logged 42 percent against the Lions on Halloween.
“What I learned last year when you’re in kind of this role where you’re not playing the lion’s share, you really have to strike when your opportunities are there,” he said, “and I haven’t been able to do that so far this year, but still four games, and four big division games left, so I’m hoping I can make some hay on this backstretch.”
Kerrigan missed most of training camp after suffering a thumb injury that required surgery. He then had to play with his hand wrapped for a few games before transitioning to a splint. The thumb is OK now, even though he said he is still working to get full motion back but it isn’t an issue anymore.
“Just because the results you want aren’t there, doesn’t mean you say oh (no) and throw in the towel,” Kerrigan said. “This is something I’m going to try to impart on my daughters later in life if they’re ever having a tough time or whatnot.
“Just because you haven’t been getting what you want exactly doesn’t mean you give up and say the hell with this. You have to keep working just because you never know when the right opportunity is going to be there for you, and you have to be ready to take advantage of it.”
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