Perseverance finally paying off for Orchard

LB plays well in 1st game, could stay around a while

By the time the Orchard family hung a Christmas wreath on the front door of their red-brick home in Salt Lake City, Nate Orchard had considered giving up.

The 26-year-old felt as if he was in the best shape of his life — he had recorded four sacks this preseason and recently run his fastest 40-yard dash (4.7 seconds) — yet he had struggled to find a team after the Miami Dolphins cut him before the start of the season.

The outside linebacker had gotten tryouts — nine in 11 weeks — but never a contract.

Orchard fell into a routine, flying Monday, working out Tuesday and returning home shortly after to train and install windows, 11 to 15 per day Wednesday through Friday, a side hustle that started feeling like a main gig. The schedule strained his family, particularly his 6-year-old daughter Katherine, who had already attended four different schools as her dad bounced around the NFL. She sometimes admitted she didn’t want him to make a team because work meant change and that he was home less.

When things didn’t pan out with the Kansas City Chiefs in late November, the thoughts creeping in after every tryout felt inescapable.

“It hurt,” Orchard said, slipping into his mindset from that time: “Maybe I shouldn’t play anymore. Maybe I should just focus on the family and find a normal job.”

Then Orchard, having given it one more shot, was suddenly in the cafeteria at the Washington Redskins practice facility last week, signing a contract on his way out to practice.

Four days later, he was running onto the field, the first-stringer after an injury to Montez Sweat and an ejection of Ryan Anderson. Then at the goal line in the fourth quarter, he was polishing off a career day — four tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery — with two crucial plays to preserve a win over the Carolina Panthers.

“His growth has been extraordinary for one week,” Redskins interim coach Bill Callahan said of Orchard on Wednesday, hinting the edge rusher could sneak into the defense’s regular rotation.

There is a chance at some stability for Orchard because, even though it’s uncertain who will lead the front office next season, the Redskins will need outside linebackers, with just three under contract. But he won’t allow himself to think that far ahead.

Maegan, Orchard’s wife, supported him as the Seahawks and then Dolphins let him go. She helped care for their three children, and Orchard went to the gym by 6 every morning so he could be home to drive the kids to school. He trained with his high school coaches until it all paid off last week.

He grew quiet this week at the Redskins facility as he described keeping his composure through the hardest moments of his journey.

“I got a wife and three kids [and] I don’t want them to see me break,” he said. “I don’t want them to see me weak because that’s just not who I am. That’s not how I’m built.”

The Orchards couldn’t make it to Nate’s first game with the Redskins. They watched at home in wonder as, seemingly with each passing minute, he became a bigger part of the defense. He made the second-to-last tackle of the game against Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, which Callahan credited with saving the game. Orchard joked he only made it because he couldn’t go to overtime.

“My legs were fried,” he laughing.

The Orchards were still talking about the game when they switched off the television Sunday and started hanging ornaments on their Christmas tree.

“My family, we been through a lot,” he said, his voice cracking, unable to contain the emotion any longer.

“So to come out and represent myself and my family …” He dabbed at his eyes. “It means everything.”

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