Coming off a career year with 13.5 sacks and five forced fumbles, Ryan Kerrigan on Wednesday was ranked the 78th-best player in the league by his peers.*
Ryan Kerrigan in 2014 turned in one of the best overall performances by a pass rusher in Washington Redskins history, and on Wednesday, the outside linebacker learned just how far-reaching his season really was.
Redskins outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan was named the 78th-best player in the NFL in the NFL Network's "Top 100 Players Of 2015." Take a trip back through Kerrigan's career with the Redskins.
The Purdue product was revealed as the 78th-best player in the league on the NFL Network's "Top 100 Players of 2015" list, which is based on votes by players across the NFL.
It's the first "Top 100 Players" selection of Kerrigan's career.
"It's an honor to have been named to the Top 100 this year," Kerrigan told Redskins.com. "To be able to say that I was a top-80 football player in the NFL this past season is a really cool thing. I'm proud to be able to represent the Redskins on the countdown this year."
Kerrigan has been a model of consistency for the Redskins since being selected in the first round (16th overall) in the 2011 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Muncie, Ind., native enters 2015 having started all 64 regular-season games in which he has appeared.
He took his game to new heights in 2014, posting a career-high 13.5 sacks, tying Ken Harvey (1994) and Dexter Manley (1984) for the fourth-most sacks by a member of the Redskins since sacks became official in 1982.
Kerrigan also had five forced fumbles in 2014, tying for the league lead and becoming the first member of the Redskins to finish atop league rankings in that category since LaVar Arrington's NFL-best six forced fumbles in 2003.
Kerrigan's top performance in 2014 came in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, when he tied a team record with four sacks among the Redskins' team-record-tying 10 sacks on the day. He joined Brian Orakpo (2009), Phillip Daniels (2005), Harvey (1994) and Manley (1988) as the only Redskins to accomplish that feat.
Kerrigan – a Pro Bowl selection in 2012 – enters the 2015 season with 38 sacks, already ranking sixth in team history in that category. With six more sacks, Kerrigan would move into sole possession of third place, passing Orakpo (40), Harvey (41.5) and Monte Coleman (43.5). Manley (91) and Charles Mann (82) top the list.
