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The Washington Redskins are getting much-needed depth along the defensive line, as the team activated defensive lineman Stacy McGee from the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list Tuesday. The team waived defensive back Kenny Ladler in a corresponding move.
The Redskins had until Wednesday to activate McGee or lose him for the entire season. He returned to practice on Oct. 17 after having core muscle surgery in the offseason.
McGee provides depth to a defensive line that has leaned on three particular players for a large bulk of the defensive snaps. Jonathan Allen has played in 77.2 percent of the Redskins defensive snaps, while rookie Daron Payne has played in 76.7 percent and Matt Ioannidis, who leads the team with 6.5 sacks, has played 54.4 percent. The closest defensive line player in snaps is Ziggy Hood with 9.6 percent and he is no longer with the team, as he was released on Oct. 16.
The three starters, Allen, Payne, and Ioannidis have been an excellent trio in base packages against the run and applying pressure in the passing game. The “Alabama Wall” as they are commonly referred to, has been one of the Redskins’ biggest strengths this season. However, the Redskins have lacked depth across in their packages and McGee gives fresh legs.
McGee is in the second-year of a five-year, $25 million deal he signed with the Redskins in 2017. His first year was a disappointment as he started 10 games, playing in all 16 and a career-high 432 snaps. He registered 44 tackles, but the Redskins were the worst defense against the run, allow 134.1 yards per game on the ground.
As McGee elected to have core muscle surgery this offseason, Washington added Payne in the first round of April’s NFL Draft to add more talent on the defensive line. With Ioannidis and Allen being healthy, Payne’s addition has paid off heavily for the Redskins. Through eight games, the Redskins are fifth against the run allowing 89.4 yards per game.
Adding McGee gives another capable player to join the rotation in spells. He should benefit in a reduce in snaps allowing him to be fresh and able to be more efficient in his snaps. He is versatile enough to play across the line at the five-technique as a defensive end in the 3-4 or nose tackle. He can even plug in on nickel package at the 3-technique defensive tackle.
One may want to play the big three as often as possible but now with McGee available, defensive coordinator Greg Manusky has another option to wheel out. By doing so he can keep the big three a bit fresher as the goes along.
