Thursday, July 24th, 2008...1:09 pm by Lee Gibbons
Jason Taylor: What does his Addition Signal for the Redskins
The Jason Taylor trade has been the news of NFL this week. The Redskins already had a solid defense, so what does adding a top tier defensive end mean to the team? Over the past four year seasons we’ve had four top pass rushers move teams, so since history tends to repeat itself let’s take a look at what happened in those cases:
2004 – Philly Signs Jevon Kearse
Jevon Kearse was the biggest free agent on the market in the 2004 off-season. The Eagles stepped out of their usual comfort zone and spent big bucks to land Kearse. This was the same off-season that the Eagles added Terrell Owens so hopes in Philadelphia were high. The Eagles did improve, going 13-3 and winning the NFC Championship.
Defensively Kearse did help the team. The Eagles defensive rank jumped from 20th in 2003 to 10th in 2004 and the team’s sacks increased from 38 in 2003 to 47 in 2004. In the end the big contract given to Kearse didn’t pan out, he was dinged up and ineffective for much of the tenure with the Eagles. His big contract also forced the Eagles to lose the player next on this list.
By The Numbers
Jevon Kearse
2003 Tennessee Titans 9.5 sacks in 14 games
2004 Philadelphia Eagles 9.5 sacks in 14 games
Philadelphia Sack Totals
2003 – 38 sacks
2004 – 47 sacks
Philadelphia Defensive Rank
2003 – 20th
2004 – 10th
2005 – Oakland Signs Derrick Burgess
Burgess was used in a situational role for the most part during his time in Philadelphia but a big 2004 post-season (3 sacks in 3 games) led to their being a strong market for him as a free agent in 2005. Burgess signed a five-year deal with Oakland and proceeded to explode statistically and establish himself as one of the top pass rushers in the league.
Despite Burgess’ huge numbers (16 sacks in 2005), Oakland was actually worse in 2005. It was a pitiful offense that held them back however as the defense was very solid. The Raiders were the 3rd ranked defense in 2005, up from 30th in 2004 and the sack totals jumped considerably as well.
By the Numbers
Derrick Burgess
2004 Philadelphia 2.5 sacks in 12 games
2005 Oakland 16.0 sacks in 16 games
Oakland Sack Totals
2004 – 25
2005 – 36
Oakland Defensive Rank
2004 – 30th
2005 – 3rd
2006 – Atlanta Acquires John Abraham in Trade
Abraham had proved himself to be one of the league’s top defensive ends in New York but after repeated contract issues involving Abraham, including him being named the team’s franchise player in two consecutive seasons, the Jets decided to trade him. Before signing Andre Carter, the Redskins were one team mentioned in the Abraham rumors but in the end he went to Atlanta in a complicated three-way deal involving Denver.
After completing the deal Atlanta moved quickly signing Abraham to large five year contract. Abraham’s first season with the Falcons was injury filled and he only played in 8 games. The team’s defensive statistics held steady and there was no net gain for the Falcons in year one of Abraham’s tenure in Atlanta. Much like Kearse, Abraham’s giant contract led to the Falcons losing another good pass rusher who’s on this list.
By the Numbers
John Abraham
2005 NY Jets 10.5 sacks in 16 games
2006 Atlanta 4 sacks in 8 games
Atlanta Falcons Sack Totals
2005 – 37
2006 – 37
Atlanta Defensive Ranking
2005 – 22nd
2006 – 22nd
2007 – Patrick Kerney Signs with Seattle
Kerney and Abraham were expected to form a devastating duo of pass rushers for the Falcons in 2006 but both were limited by injuries. Thanks to Abraham’s contract the team could no longer afford Kerney after his contract expired and he signed with Seattle as a free agent.
Kerney had a huge year in Seattle. His 14.5 sacks ranked 2nd in the NFL and we all know what he did in the playoffs against the Redskins. Seattle’s defense made improvements in 2007, although these improvements were slight for the most part.
By the Numbers
Patrick Kerney
2006 Atlanta 4.5 sacks in 9 games
2007 Seattle 14.5 sacks in 16 games
Seattle Sack Totals
2006 – 41
2007 – 45
Seattle Defensive Rank
2006 – 19th
2007 – 15th
Conclusion
Three of four teams showed improvements upon the addition of a top pass rusher. The one team that lagged behind suffered injuries to both starting defensive ends and its impossible to say what would have happened had both stayed healthy. With the Redskins defense already being solid, we’re likely looking at incremental improvements like Seattle or Philly instead of the giant step forward made by Oakland upon signing Burgess. The main issue that has arisen for these teams is losing out on their own free agents due to huge contracts doled out to the new acquisitions. Obviously the Redskins aren’t going to lose anyone this season, but if the team needs to re-work or extend Taylor’s contract next off-season someone may end up leaving town. On the plus side the Redskins are very good at manipulating the salary cap, so this risk may be over-stated.
All in all if trends hold, we should be looking at a formidable Redskins’ defense in 2008. An increase in sacks should be expected as well as improvement on last year’s 8th place ranking on the NFL’s defensive charts.
1 Comment
July 27th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
I had been thinking about this even before you wrote it up, and I had come to a similar conclusion: in most cases, adding a Jason Taylor style Defensive player still playing in their prime has been an incredibly beneficial move.
Where issues arise is when reputation has exceeded current skills; the Redskins need look no further than Bruce Smith to see an example of such a case. In this case, Bruce Smith HAD been such a player, for many years; however, his PRIME years had ended three years or more earlier, and when he was brought in the Redskins were bringing in a (well earned but) out of date reputation.
Jason Taylor is one complete season removed from being the NFL Defensive Player of the Year; last year his production dipped, somewhat, but not outside of the realm of a very good player.
All told, I’m worried about the cost to the Redskins, but enthused about the possibilities of the Redskins with a player like Taylor on the Defensive Line.
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