Commanders LB Nate Gerry Gives Washington Much-Needed Depth
The Washington Commanders have needed a linebacker for a very long time.
Before training camp, the team was thin at the position, but during the last few weeks, losing undrafted rookie Drew White only emphasized the need more.
That's why the team went out and signed former Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers veteran Nathan Gerry to a contract Sunday.
Head coach Ron Rivera, a former linebacker himself, explained the reason behind signing Gerry.
“Well, you look at it and you think, what was our biggest need at linebacker? We're big and stout for the most part," Rivera said. "We wanted a guy that could run, can cover. Nathan has a very good, an extensive background in coverage. He can run well, and he is a solid special teams guy. So he gives us some added depth. He gave us a little something we didn't have and that was another cover linebacker that we felt could really run and make a contribution that way.”
Not only is Gerry a former starter for the NFC East Division rival Eagles, but he's also a former teammate of quarterback Carson Wentz's from 2017-20, and has playoff experience from that last year with the team, having played 82 percent of the defensive snaps in the Wild Card Round.
Gerry entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Eagles in 2017 and became a Super Bowl champion that same season.
As a rookie, he played in 10 games for the team and started one.
He would go on to start 21 more contests for the Eagles in the next three seasons while appearing in 36.
While he may have spent time with the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, he did not see any active games and was unsigned until this weekend.
When he was entering the league coming out of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football program, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein called him a "rocked-up strong safety type who can play near the line of scrimmage and operate in zone coverage. Gerry's lack of reactive agility will limit him in man coverage and create inconsistencies as a tackler."
Of course, the Eagles would convert him to linebacker, and that's where he's stayed ever since.
He'll now join a group led by Cole Holcomb and compete with guys like Milo Eifler and Khaleke Hudson.
Will he make an impact? It's hard to tell now. But he's joining a rather thin position group, so there's always a shot at a sleeper making moves when that happens.
For the Commanders, he's not Anthony Barr, but those who have been asking for a linebacker addition finally got one.
