The Washington Commanders released Jonathan Allen just days before the official start of the season in a move to free up cap space, saving them more than $16 million against the salary cap. It also put one of the best interior defensive linemen on the market.
It also means the Commanders are committing to Daron Payne over Allen, which isn’t a shock; the Commanders were likely never going to bring back both Payne and Allen. It was way too costly and one interior defensive lineman is enough.
That said, letting Allen go to the free agency market also runs the risk of Allen becoming their biggest nemesis. There are quite a few teams that are going to pounce on Allen and sure up their defensive front.
The Philadelphia Eagles showed the recipe to not just taking down one of the top teams in the NFL, but also taking down any team that can be a threat. If you put together a defensive line not even a brick wall could stop, it goes a long way.
3 Jonathan Allen destinations that will torture Commanders for years to come
3) Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions will be aggressive in locking down their defensive line. They had some serious injury issues this past season on their defense. After re-signing Alim McNeil to an extension, he tore his ACL. At the end of November, Mekhi Wingo had knee surgery as well.
Their defensive line has literally been battered and bruised. An upgrade is necessary and Allen could be just what the Lions need.
Though the Lions lost their top two coordinators, they’re still competitive and should be a top team in the NFC again. While winning the NFC North is going to be a little bit more of a challenge next season, it’s not out of reach.
If the Lions can add Allen to the mix, it just makes their defensive line unit, which already features Aidan Hutchinson, much more dangerous. The Lions may not be able to afford Allen.
But if they can make some moves to make it happen, it would absolutely be worth it. If the Lions and the Commanders end up on a crash course to meet each other in the playoffs year in and year out, Allen might have an edge every time they show up on the schedule.
2) San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers have long been known to have a dangerous defense. They could turn around and bolster their defensive front again with Allen. Similar to the Lions, if the Commanders remain a top team in the the NFC East, they could be on a crash course to meet in the playoffs.
This past season, Allen played just half the games so his numbers weren’t nearly as strong as they’ve been throughout his career. He had 19 tackles and three sacks this year. His best season in Washington was 2022.
He totaled 65 tackles and 7.5 sacks. That’s the player the 49ers would love to inherit. And if he did, it would keep the 49ers with an elite defense.
The 49ers defense is already a problem. Inserting Jonathan Allen alongside Joey Bosa and Leonard Floyd could be a problem. Add in Fred Warner, the best linebacker in the NFL right now, and the 49ers defense looks scary.
If Brock Purdy can figure out how to stay healthy and they can figure out an offense that can work without Deebo Samuel and possibly Christian McCaffrey, they could be a team that returns to contending in the NFC again.
1) Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are in the middle of a rebuild, but now they have their coach and the cap space to finally move into a respectable position in the NFC. They play in one of the toughest divisions, which had three of its teams reach the playoffs last year.
It won’t be easy for the Bears to change course and improve, but getting a player like Jonathan Allen could be key in helping patch some of the holes on their defense.
The Bears sold off most of their top defensive players over the last few years in an effort to build draft capital as things have been horrible in the Windy City. Now’s their chance to finally get out of the rebuild phase.
They already made moves to improve their offensive line, trading for Kansas City Chiefs guard, Joe Thuney. Now they have a chance to bring in another vet who’s talented as well.
This feels like an obvious move for the Bears as they look to finally put the losing ways behind them.