Commanders bring back Ryan Kerrigan as defensive line assistant coach
Ryan Kerrigan is officially back with the Washington Commanders.
The Commanders reached a deal with Kerrigan to make him their new assistant defensive line coach on Monday, the team announced. The former defensive end and linebacker retired in July as Washington’s all-time sacks leader, and has been helping the Commanders’ defensive line during training camp.
"It's been cool to see another end of football and help other guys out," Kerrigan said last week, via ESPN. "I have really enjoyed it because you still get to be involved in the game, still get to prepare for the game. You just don't beat your body up. It's been a fun experience."
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Kerrigan will officially work as an assistant for defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina, who replaced Sam Mills last month in the same position.
Kerrigan played in the league for 11 seasons, almost exclusively for Washington — which selected him with the No. 16 overall pick in 2011 out of Purdue. He had 457 tackles throughout his career and a franchise-best 95.5 sacks. The 34-year-old spent last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he had three tackles and 1.5 sacks in the playoffs. Kerrigan then signed a one-day contract to officially retire with Washington in July.
The Commanders will open their season on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, where they’re currently listed as a -3 point favorite on BetMGM.
"Ryan Kerrigan is one of the most accomplished players in this franchise's history," Commanders coach Ron Rivera said in a statement. "Following his retirement, we had a great talk about his goals for life after playing. Ryan had an interest in coaching and we were able to allow him to shadow our coaching staff this summer. He is an extremely hard worker with tremendous knowledge of the defensive line position group. I look forward to watching him develop as a coach and assist Coach Zgonina in the defensive line room."
