Jonathan Allen‘s pectoral damage was as soon as deemed season-ending, however the Commanders defensive lineman nonetheless hopes to return in 2024. According to ESPN’s John Keim, Allen “has not deserted hope” that he can return this season.
The veteran suffered his pectoral damage in November, however there was excellent news throughout his subsequent surgical procedure. Whereas it was initially believed that Allen tore his muscle, Keim notes that medical doctors found that Allen’s pectoral muscle was solely partially torn. Whereas Allen finally landed on IR, there was rising hope that he may return for the stretch run of the 2024 marketing campaign. Keim provides that later checkups helped preserve optimism that Allen may play once more this season.
In anticipation of a possible return, the defensive lineman has been figuring out at crew amenities, hoping to return earlier than the top of December. Keim writes that Allen must show that he’s “regained all his power” earlier than he’d be allowed again on the sphere.
The 2017 first-round choose has spent his whole profession in Washington, incomes a pair of Professional Bowl nods whereas reworking into one of many group’s high defenders. After amassing 22 sacks and 22 QB hits between 2021 and 2023, Allen continued to provide in 2024, amassing a pair of sacks and 6 QB hits by means of six video games. The 29-year-old is on the books by means of 2025 (though none of his 15.5M base wage for that yr is assured). The group additionally invested in Daron Payne and used a pair of latest second-round picks (Phidarian Mathis, Jer’Zhan Newton), main some teams to sniff around last offseason a few potential Allen commerce.
With Allen out of the lineup, Mathis and Newton have break up snaps taking part in subsequent to Payne. Sheldon Day and Jalyn Holmes additionally noticed an uptick in taking part in time when Allen went down with an damage. Mathis was a wholesome scratch again in Week 13, so the crew wouldn’t have any tough choices to make if Allen returns.
