Dan Quinn confirmed Friday that Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen is back!
Allen, who tore a pectoral muscle in Washington’s Week 6 loss to the Ravens, seemed lost for the season. However, surgery that week revealed the injury was only a partial tear. Allen, therefore, began rehab earlier and surprised the fan base last week when he returned to practice.
Quinn stated Friday that Allen is ready.
“He had a really good week. So, that’s the thing I was really looking for. Would he be able to hit all the markers in practice (contact, going, run game, pass game)? It was great to see him. I had a good sense yesterday that the arrow was trending up, and then I saw that again today.”
Getting Jonathan Allen back this week has been the plan… https://t.co/mh5jvnM7cw
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 27, 2024
Washington chose Allen with the 17th selection in the 2017 NFL Draft. Therefore, Allen played seven seasons for Washington without a winning record in a single season. Only one season was not a losing season when Washington went 8-8-1 in 2022.
With his pectoral injury seemingly ending his 2024 season, there was much talk in the DMV sports media that Allen might have played his last game for the Commanders. One reason is his contract, which still has a major salary cap hit of $23M in 2025. Only Daron Payne ($26M) and Terry McLaurin ($25M) are scheduled to make more for the Commanders in 2025.
It’s great to see Allen return and be able to enjoy contributing to a winning team. Hopefully he, unlike Lattimore, will not re-injure himself in his return this season. Best wishes for Allen in his return.