Shaka Toney has stepped up big time with injuries mounting in Washington

Shaka Toney steps up as injuries mount for the Washington Football Team on the defensive side of the ball.

The Washington Football Team selected defensive end Shaka Toney out of Penn State in the seventh round (246th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft. Usually being selected in the seventh round isn’t exactly the best omen for a player. They aren’t guaranteed a roster spot and are definitely going to be fighting to see any type of time on the field.

Toney faced an even bigger uphill battle. You saw the position he played and the team he got drafted by. Washington was known for its insane defensive line. They boast the likes of Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Payne, Matthew Ioannidis, and Tim Settle. Good luck carving out snaps with that group in front of you.

And for Toney, things kind of went how you would expect at first. He didn’t see the field until Week 6, in that game he played in 11 defensive snaps (13%). Toney appeared again for three defensive snaps in Week 8 (6%), then again in Week 10 for nine defensive snaps (19%). In those three games, he didn’t record a tackle.

Shaka Toney has been a gem for the Washington Football Team

The reason Toney was even seeing the field was due to injuries, mainly to Young and Sweat. The two superstar defensive ends have been out of action for quite some time. Young will miss the rest of the year, while Sweat should return hopefully soon after breaking his jaw earlier in the season.

Then in Week 12, Toney made it onto the field again. This time, he appeared in just five defensive snaps (11%). However, he made his first big impact. In the fourth quarter, on the Seattle Seahawks’ final drive of the game, Toney made his presence known.

Washington was up 17-9 when the drive started. Toney picked up a sack that helped elongate the drive. He later recorded another tackle. Even though Seattle scored, they failed the two-point conversion. Now they were still down two points and there were just 15 seconds left. They couldn’t recover the onside kick and Washington was able to knee the ball and take the win.

Seattle managed to score on that final drive they had. However, Toney played a vital part in the win. His sack helped slow things down. It took time off the clock and made it so that Washington had very little to worry about even after giving up the touchdown.

Most importantly though, it showed that he might be ready to step up. The defense needs players to fill some pretty massive shoes. Young and Sweat aren’t easy to duplicate. Luckily Washington is stacked on their defensive line.

Due to that, it’s not like the rookie is going to be asked to take 30 defensive snaps a game or anything. However, he might be asked to see the field a few times a game. And we’ve seen that he can disrupt an offense and leave an impact in just a few plays.

The Washington Football Team is on a three-game winning streak right now. They are 5-6 and suddenly find themselves back in the playoff race. They’ve needed role players to step up at times, especially due to injuries. In Week 12, rookie Shaka Toney saw his opportunity and took it. Will it lead to something bigger for him in the future? It’s hard to tell. But for now, it’s just nice to know that he’s clearly ready for whatever is thrown at him.