The November 3rd NFL Trade Deadline is fast approaching, and rumors and speculations are starting to get drummed up all over the place. Most of the speculation in Washington is surrounding former first-round pick, Dwayne Haskins, hoping that the team could get some real value for the QB that is obviously not wanted in the building anymore.
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However, there is also another major asset that Washington has who could be of some interest to other teams: DE Ryan Kerrigan. As an experienced veteran who still has some very strong name-power, it’s likely that an NFL team in need of some help on the defensive line could look to bring Kerrigan in for the back-half of their season and make a run at the playoffs.
ESPN thinks that this team to orchestrate the trade should be the San Francisco 49ers, who have been ravaged by injuries on the defensive front, and who could benefit greatly from the presence of a veteran like Kerrigan.
Speaking of the Niners, they badly need short-term help on the edge, with Nick Bosa and Dee Ford both on injured reserve. Most teams aren’t willing to trade away effective veteran edge rushers, but Washington is rebuilding and has one in Kerrigan, who has a little over $8 million in salary left in the final year of his deal. The 49ers would have to clear out some cap space to make this trade work, which they could do by extending Richard Sherman or Kyle Juszczyk or via restructuring Jimmy Garoppolo’s deal.
In return, Washington could buy low on a weapon for their various quarterbacks by going after Pettis, who has barely been seen since a promising 2018 season. He played 29% of the offensive snaps last season, and despite the 49ers being hit by a rash of injuries, the former second-round pick is at just 19% this season. Pettis is reportedly dealing with a knee injury, but he has two years left on his rookie deal and could emerge as a slot option over the next year and a half.
A rarely seen player-for-player deal could be hugely beneficial for both teams in this instance, landing a solid wide receiver back in Washington with Dante Pettis. In his three-year career, Pettis has 7 total touchdowns but has been dealing with a knee injury so far this season. Washington could use another receiving threat, and they don’t exactly have a ton of use for Kerrigan, who is slotted as their No. 3 edge rusher, behind Chase Young and Montez Sweat.
Regardless of who we see on the other end of the trade, it would make a ton of sense for Washington to try and get Kerrigan off the books, and find some value for him in replacement.
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