The NFL franchise has not recorded a winning record in any of Jonathan Allen’s seven prior seasons with Washington. However, the Commanders are now leading the NFC East rankings after a 4-2 start in 2024.
Without the defensive tackle, Washington will need to make an effort to maintain that position. The former Alabama All-American suffered a torn pectoral muscle during the third quarter of Washington’s 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Commanders coach Dan Quinn stated.
Quinn stated on Monday, “It’s a big blow for us.” We’re really sad for Jon Allen as a man and a ballplayer because he’s clearly been a mainstay here in terms of play style and mentality. He will undoubtedly be missed this season. And in the next days, he should probably have surgery.
Allen, who was selected 17th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, has played for Washington his whole career. In the 2021 and 2022 seasons, he was named to the Pro Bowl.
Regarding Allen’s replacement, Quinn stated, “There will be a lot of people in roles and how we can feature guys to do that because Jon is rare and has unique skills and talent, so it’s not just plug and play.” The good thing is that we have a large, experienced workforce, and we will highlight each of them in a somewhat different way as we look for methods to accomplish that.
“Jon and the strength and attitude he brings inside will definitely be missed.”
Daron Payne, another former Alabama standout who trained at Shades Valley, is the Commanders’ other starting defensive lineman.
This season, Allen got 230 defensive snaps. 242 has been played by Payne.
Johnny Newton and another former Crimson Tide defensive lineman, Phidarian Mathis, are the front-runners to succeed Allen. After two seasons marred by injuries, Mathis has played 127 defensive snaps in 2024, while Newton, a second-round rookie, has played 117 defensive snaps.
In 2016, Allen won both the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, sweeping the national Defensive Player of the Year titles at Alabama. In addition, he received the Ted Hendricks Award for top defensive end in the country, the Rotary Lombardi Award for best lineman, and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award. In 2016, Allen was selected to the All-SEC for the third consecutive season and was unanimously named an All-American.