Washington hasn’t received trade interest in Ryan Kerrigan, Dwayne Haskins

And if any of the three were to be moved, Anderson would appear to be the most likely candidate. His fit in defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio’s 4-3 scheme appeared uncertain from the outset, and his playing time dropped significantly from 35.3 defensive plays per game last year to 17.4 this year. A former second-round pick out of Alabama, Anderson posted career highs last year with four sacks, 44 total tackles, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He has recorded six tackles in seven games this year.

Though Anderson is only 26 and on an expiring contract, a comparable deal may be what the Dallas Cowboys received from the Detroit Lions for Everson Griffen, a 32-year-old edge rusher who was acquired for a conditional sixth-round draft pick.

Kerrigan, a former first-round pick out of Purdue, said earlier in the year that he hoped to finish his career with Washington. But ESPN reported Sunday morning that he had requested a trade; his playing time has dipped this season behind recent first-round picks Chase Young and Montez Sweat. The team, however, appears intent on keeping him because of his value to the defensive line and the roster as a whole.

“I know it’s tough because I know he wants to start,” Coach Ron Rivera said of Kerrigan in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio last week. “But you look at the young guys we have there, there’s a role for [him]. This is the role is that you’re going to get your spot chances, and when you get those spot chances, you got to make hay. And he does.

“ … You got Chase and Montez that sit there and they admire the guy. First of all, they admire him because they watched him play when they were growing up. Second, they admire him for the type of leadership that he’s displaying. Every day he goes out there, he practices the way you’re supposed to, then when he gets the chance to play, he’s made hay. That’s the important thing.”

Kerrigan started all but four games in his first nine seasons and became the franchise’s all-time sack leader this season. Though Kerrigan’s snap count has plummeted, he has recorded four sacks to rank second on the team behind Sweat (five).

“I think that works well for him,” Del Rio said. “I think he’s fresher when he’s able to go in in small doses and do what he does well.”

Kerrigan is in the final year of his contract, however, and it seems unlikely the team would re-sign him given its depth on the defensive line. At 32, Kerrigan may fetch Washington a higher compensatory pick in the 2022 draft if he leaves in free agency than he would in a trade before Tuesday.

Haskins could want out, too, after he was benched in Week 4 in favor of Kyle Allen. But Rivera said he has “not quit on the kid” and believes there’s opportunity for continued development. Perhaps more importantly, there may not be a market robust enough to move him.

Haskins’s contract is fully guaranteed and includes salaries of approximately $1.8 million and $2.5 million over the next two seasons, which are higher than most NFL backups. Finding a team willing to take on his money and give up assets — assets significant enough to entice Washington to part with a recent first-round pick — is a tall task, especially when his experience and his demotion from starter to third string in Week 4 are factored in. There could be some teams, fair or not, that wonder whether Haskins is worth the cost if it didn’t work out with a well-regarded coach in Rivera.

The past two first-round quarterbacks who were traded before the end of their rookie deals were Josh Rosen, in 2019, and Blaine Gabbert, in 2014. Rosen is on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad and could be added to any team’s active roster at a cheaper rate than Haskins.

This year’s trade deadline is further complicated by the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has prompted the league to enforce a stringent six-day testing process for most new players, be they free agents, trade acquisitions or practice squad players signed from another team. Should any of Washington’s players be traded — or should it acquire anyone else before Tuesday’s deadline — they probably won’t be available for this coming weekend.

At 2-5 and squarely in the hunt for the NFC East crown, Washington has tried to balance building for the future with trying to win now. And unless it’s presented an offer too good to pass up before 4 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Washington could enter the final nine games with its roster intact.

Sam Fortier contributed to this report.

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