ASHBURN, Va. — The atmosphere around the Washington Commanders is exciting, anticipatory, and fans coming through training camp this year have their eyes wide open for new faces and fresh starts taking place all over the field.
Mixed within them, however, are franchise greats. Guys like London Fletcher, Logan Paulsen, Santana Moss, and Fred Smoot working as part of the Commanders‘ in-house media team. And Brian Mitchell who is well-established in the local radio scene while also being a regular and active member of the franchise’s alumni. There’s also former quarterback Doug Williams, currently serving as the team’s senior advisor to general manager Adam Peters. And coach Ryan Kerrigan working on the field to make sure the next generation of players is better than the last.
Washington is new, refreshed, but not without undertones of its history pitching in all over the place. For Kerrigan, in his third year as a coach now, he’s getting his feet under him and enjoying the process.
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“I’m enjoying (coaching) a lot. I mean, there’s nothing like playing, nothing beats being out there with the helmet on, but when your body tells you it’s time to be done, it’s time to be done. So I’m enjoying this next phase of my football life and hopefully, I’m able to impart a lot on the guys,” Kerrigan says. “There’s a lot of excitement around here. …I’m excited to see where this thing goes.”
Kerrigan spent a total of 10 seasons playing in Washington before spending one with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021. In 2022 he returned as a coach, and this year is serving as the Commanders’ assistant linebackers/pass rush specialist and has reunited with a former teammate, defensive line coach Darryl Tapp.
“He’s just, he’s high energy,” Kerrigan said of Tapp who spent the 2013 season playing for Washington during his 12 year playing career. “Being a guy that played in the NFL I think is always a good thing and he certainly played a long time, so he has that rapport with the guys and he’s just been a positive, upbeat guy to be around.”
The duo have teamed up with assistant defensive line coach Sharrif Floyd who spent four years playing in the league himself. Together, coach Tapp says they’re, “the three musketeers,” a trio of high-energy coaches looking to get the most out of their position group.
One of the key players they’ll be coaching this season is rookie defensive lineman Johnny Newton. The newly arrived NFL lineman brings ability to help in every facet of the defense if he’s healthy, something he was not when he landed in D.C.
But he’s worked with trainers to recover from two foot surgeries – one on each foot – since leaving the University of Illinois and was able to get his first NFL practice reps at the start of training camp, and his first team 11-on-11 reps at the beginning of Week 2.
Kerrigan, understanding the player’s drive to compete, told us that saying Newton was ‘itching to compete’ would be a gross understatement.
“Just talking to him about getting more reps, he’s fired up,” Kerrigan said. “He had a tough start to his professional career in the spring, but now he’s here and he is ready to roll.”
Clearly, while Kerrigan’s playing days may be over his days influencing what becomes of Washington football are far from it.
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