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Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen is one of the NFL’s best defensive players. Allen’s success isn’t a surprise, but he hasn’t always received the recognition he deserves.
That’s slowly changing with a pair of Pro Bowl berths after Allen signed a four-year extension in 2021. After Daron Payne’s breakout season in 2022, Washington’s defensive tackle duo is no longer about potential. Allen and Payne should be considered the NFL’s best interior duo in 2023.
Last season, Allen and Payne combined for 34 tackles for loss. Payne tied Dave Butz’s franchise record for single-season sacks by an interior defensive lineman with 11.5.
While sacks are an outstanding metric to measure pass-rush success, it’s not everything. Allen recorded 7.5 sacks last season and has never reached double digits in his six-year NFL career. Yet, Allen remains one of the league’s most-feared interior defenders.
According to Next Gen Stats, Allen is second in the NFL — behind only Javon Hargrave — in pressure rate from the defensive tackle position over the last three seasons. Hargrave [13%] is ahead of Allen [12.3%], with Aaron Donald ranking No. 3 [12.2%].
The Bills have agreed to a four-year, $68 million extension with Ed Oliver (per @RapSheet).
Oliver generated a 11.6% pressure rate over the last three seasons, 4th-highest among defensive tackles during that time frame (min. 600 pass rushes).#BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/q0eDGRgR9G
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) June 5, 2023
While Donald faces double teams and more on every play, Allen is also double-teamed consistently.
With Payne and Allen locked in long-term, perhaps the Commanders can get more from defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young in 2023, freeing up the duo to wreak even more havoc.