One of the most notable players thus far the Washington Football Team during training camp has been the newest linebacker, Kevin Pierre-Louis, who signed with the team this past offseason.
After an underwhelming career with several teams in the NFL, KPL has been able to step up and earn a starting spot on the Washington defense, turning a lot of heads along the way. We’ve heard from players and coaches who have marveled at his ability, and now Pro Football Focus is naming Pierre-Louis their breakout star for Washington this season.
Washington’s linebacker unit is a true wildcard, but Kevin Pierre-Louis could help that with a late-career breakout year in 2020. He has been an NFL journeyman, playing a snap for four teams in six years in the league and never seeing ample time in any sizeable stretch until late in 2019 with the Chicago Bears. He entered in Week 4 for the Bears when injuries hit the unit and performed well by producing an 89.8 PFF grade.
He then logged only three snaps until seeing the field for 187 snaps over the final four games. In that span, Pierre-Louis was the league’s highest-graded off-ball linebacker (89.3), as he was productive in coverage and as a blitz weapon. It’s rare to see a player break out in Year 7, but Pierre-Louis might defy those odds, given what he showed last season.
It could be as simple as a coaching change that made things click for KPL this offseason, now playing under Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio, two former linebackers themselves. What’s important is that Washington’s linebacking unit is in need of some help, and Pierre-Louis seems like the might be the guy to bring it. If he can live up to expectations, the defense only gets more dominant.
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