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News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

Homegrown And Here To Stay

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Since Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan began his tenure at the start of the 2015 season, he has made sure to reward several of the team's homegrown talents with multi-year contracts, laying a sturdy foundation for the franchise.

Scot McCloughan has a very precise way of how he wants to build up a football team's roster.

Take a look at some photos from Scot McCloughan's first day as general manager of the Washington Redskins.

On Jan. 9, 2015, McCloughan first laid of his vision for where he wanted to go with the Washington Redskins.

Instead of a team created through pricey free agent moves, McCloughan would mold the Redskins through homegrown talent.

It was something his first learned as a scout for the Green Bay Packers in the 1990s.

"The first thing I learned from both of them is to not dabble in free agency," McCloughan said. "It's always the draft. I'm a little different – I'm a little more aggressive than that. …You don't do knee-jerk reactions. You're very, very thorough, not just from the standpoint of how they play on tape but how they're wired."

A little more than six months after McCloughan was first introduced as Redskins general manager, the team announced a multi-year contract extension for linebacker Ryan Kerrigan.

A month later, perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams also agreed to new terms with the Redskins.

Both homegrown talents will be cornerstone players for Washington over the next few years.

"To get to a moment like this where you get a chance to play out the rest of your NFL career with the team that drafted you, the team that you love, the city that you love, it hasn't really hit me yet, but it's an awesome feeling," Kerrigan said in July. "Now it's my job to go reward the Redskins for the faith they put in me by playing well this year, and for the rest of my career."

"It feels great to know that I'll be ready to go for another five seasons," Williams said in August. "It's a dream come true."

Trent Williams Is The Rock For Hogs 2.0

Since being drafted by the Redskins in the 2010 and 2011 NFL Drafts respectively, Williams and Kerrigan have been two of the most consistent players in the NFL.

Williams – who has been selected to four-straight Pro Bowls and is now a mainstay on the NFL's annual "Top 100 Players" list – has appeared in 85 games with 84 starts over the last six seasons.

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With his four Pro Bowl appearances, Williams became just the third Redskins tackle to make four consecutive appearances in the NFL's all-star game, joining Chris Samuels and Joe Jacoby.

Williams has also blossomed into one of the team's leaders, as he's been voted on by his teammates as a captain each of the last four seasons.

Prior to his arrival in Washington last season, offensive line coach Bill Callahan had worked with 22 Pro Bowl players over his first 17 years as an NFL coach.

His 23rd Pro Bowl player has all of the qualities that those enshrined in Canton had during their playing careers.

"Well I consider him the best," Callahan said. "I've been very fortunate to be around a lot of all-pro tackles and this guys off the charts athletically, I mean I tell him that all the time. And what he can do with his talent level whether it's on the perimeter, at the point of attack, downfield on screens, it's scary, it really is."

Callahan added: "He's got the type of feet that Hall of Famers have. And, boy, as he keeps putting together these years, stacking these years, back-to-back Pro Bowls and All-Pros, someone will have a decision somewhere down the line."

The Showstopper Keeps On Flexin'

Kerrigan, meanwhile, is already third all-time in Redskins history in sacks with 47.5 entering the 2016 season.

Since joining the Redskins as the No. 16-overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Kerrigan, a unanimous All-Pro during his senior season at Purdue, has been the defense's top contributor.

He's started all 80 regular season games he's appeared in,  becoming only the third Redskins player to start all 16 games in a season in each of his first five NFL seasons.

His 17 forced fumbles are also the second most by any player in the NFL since 2011, trailing only two-time Pro Bowler Charles Tillman.

"Ryan Kerrigan is a classic warrior. I mean every day is exactly the same," Redskins defensive coordinator Joe Barry said. "I think that's unbelievable is that it does not matter if it's September or if it's February, I see Ryan Kerrigan every single day. There's no offseason with this guy, he is in the building every single day and I think he's a great example of a true professional because he works his tail off."

But Kerrigan and Williams aren't the only players the Redskins have pulled the trigger on for long-term deals.

The Lefty With A Big Boot

In March, the Redskins signed punter Tress Way to a five-year contract extension.

While Way started his NFL career with the Chicago Bears, it was in Washington where he got the opportunity to prove himself.

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In his first season with the team in 2014, Way, a late preseason addition, became the first member of the Redskins to lead the NFL in punting for a season since Sam Baker in 1958. The Oklahoma product finished with the fourth-best gross average in team history, trailing only Sammy Baugh's full-season NFL record (51.4 yards per punt in 1940) and Baugh's 1941 and 1942 campaigns (48.7 and 48.2).

Way followed up his debut performance with an average of 38.8 net yards per punt in 2015, the second- best single-season average in team records available back to 1976.

At just 26 years old, Way is only on the upswing.

"I would say that it's safe to say that he is an improving young player," Redskins special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica said. "I think that you've got to remember that he is only going into his third year here. We got him a little bit late [in 2014]. We didn't really have full season to work with him. He's continuing to improve so I'm encouraged with what Tress is doing. The good thing about Tress is that he is a hard worker, he's diligent in his craft, and he wants to get better."

J-Reed Can't Be Stopped

Then in May, the Redskins sent waves through the NFL with the signing of tight end Jordan Reed to an extension.

Reed was able to shed the injury-prone label some had placed on him during the 2015 season, as he hauled in 87 receptions for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns in 14 games.

Leading the Redskins in all three statistical categories, Reed became the first tight end for the franchise to come out on top of all three receiving marks since Jean Fugett did so in 1978.

"You know, it's a great testament to him and the work that he's put in, obviously learning the system, production and then in the weight room," Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said. "He's worked extremely hard, and he's earned that contract. You know, I love the fact that when you have guys that you draft and you build through the system that perform, you reward them and he's a perfect example of that. It's a great message to send to the rest of the guys."

Kerrigan said seeing players get long-term efforts is giving everyone "a great bout of confidence."

"It lets you know that what you've been doing for the past three or four years is appreciated," Kerrigan said. "And it's great to know that you're going to be around the team that drafted you, great to know that you're going to be around the community that you've come into, it's just, like I said, a great bout of confidence from the organization."

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