Ryan Kerrigan's Future in Focus

He was a first round pick in 2011. A weird year but nothing like this one.

Nearly a decade later, Ryan Kerrigan could be in the midst of his final training camp with the only organization he's ever known.

He's a free agent at the end of the year and coming off his worst NFL season.

If this is his last dance, it won't be by his choice.

"Obviously, I want to be here. I’ve made that clear," Kerrigan said to reporters including SI.com courtesy of WashingtonFootball.com. "I’ve made that clear privately, I’ve made that clear publicly. I want to be here through the good and bad. I want to show these coaches that they’re someone they can rely on not only this year but going forward as well.”

WATCH: Ryan Kerrigan's Press Conference

Kerrigan needs a strong bounce back year after playing in only 12 games and registering 5.5 sacks. It was his lowest sack total since his rookie year when he notched 7.5 sacks but in 16 games and every single snap.

When Washington met Carolina in Ron Rivera's last game with the Panthers, that was Kerrigan's first game missed in his NFL career.

"It bums me out (his consecutive game streak) that it’s done because that’s something I take a lot of pride in. I really work hard to take care of my body, not just in season but out of season," Kerrigan said. "It’s really an everyday thing, not just in season but out of season. So, I really took pride in being available for every game. It bums me out that it’s over, but it’s something I had to put behind me because it’s done. I’ve got to focus on these next games and make sure I’m available moving forward.”

He returned after that win in Charlotte the next week in Green Bay racking up a sack but hurting his lower leg and Kerrigan was done for the lost season.

This year - he has more talent around him than ever so it should keep him fresher and allow him to move around even more as he returns to a 4-3 for the first time since he came out of Purdue.

He could be (I would strongly suggest this) be kicked inside at times allowing him to use his strength with a more direct path to the quarterback in certain nickel and dime defensive looks.

He'll also only likely play a max of 35 snaps per game if things are going well for the front seven. That's because Chase Young and Montez Sweat are in the picture along with Ryan Anderson.

If Kerrigan can rack up eight or nine sacks in limited snap time - that's as good as 11 or 12 sacks, playing the amount of snaps he normally plays.

If he gets one sack - he'll tie Dexter Manley and it's two to break the franchise all-time mark.

"As far as the sack record, obviously I want it. I know I’m only one and a half, two away so, yeah, I want it because that’s a step in what I want to accomplish this season.”

As our own Rick Snider points out, Manley had six sacks that were racked up before the NFL counted a quarterback takedown as an official stat but hey who are we to judge.

Let's put it this way - Kerrigan should easily eclipse Manley's official record and if he doesn't wind up with at least six or seven, it would be a disappointment and likely the end of his time in Washington.

Nobody wants that. Least of all Kerrigan.

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Chris Russell is the Publisher of this site, a part of SI.com. He can be heard on 106.7 The FAN in the Washington D.C. area and world-wide on Radio.com. Chris also hosts the "Locked on Washington Football Team" Podcast and can be read via subscription to Warpath Magazine. You can e-mail Chris at russellmania09@Gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @Russellmania621