ASHBURN — Jonathan Allen suffered a leg injury during Sunday’s practice, but coach Ron Rivera said afterward that the Washington defensive end appeared to avoid major damage.
Midway through practice, Allen went down during an 11-on-11 drill near the end zone. The 25-year-old came up limping and had to be helped off the field by two trainers. After being helped to the sideline, Allen sat on a cooler as a trainer attended to him, eventually placing a brace on his left knee.
Allen did not return to the field after the brace was put on.
“He got rolled up on, but it doesn’t look serious,” Rivera said. “He wanted to go back out there. … We were trying to hold him back. I’ve got to go see [trainer Ryan Vermillion] and see what the rest of it is.”
Before Sunday’s practice, Rivera told players that the morning would be their most physical outing yet. He encouraged live contact during red zone drills and told them to “show us what you can do.”
Sunday, after all, marked Washington’s final training camp practice at its team facility. It will hold a no-pads scrimmage at FedEx Field on Monday and then shift to its regular-season practice schedule later this week.
As Allen was being evaluated, a number of players — including quarterback Dwayne Haskins — came over to check on him. Allen later joined his teammates on the sideline and watched the rest of practice without his helmet on.
The initial diagnosis is a bit of good news for Washington as Allen figures to be a major part of the team’s defensive line rotation. Drafted 17th overall in 2017 out of Alabama, Allen has had 15 sacks across three seasons. After missing 11 games his rookie season with a foot injury, Allen has stayed relatively healthy the last two years — only missing one game with a knee injury last September.
This summer, Allen has been competing for a starting spot along the defensive line, rotating in and out with Daron Payne and Matt Ioannidis. When healthy, Allen had started every game for Washington in his three seasons.
Allen, who had his fifth-year option picked up earlier this offseason, had six sacks and 68 tackles in 2019. He has also emerged as an influential voice in the team’s locker room, being named captain last year. Rivera has said he expects Allen to continue his leadership role for this upcoming season, as well.
Payne said when he went to check on Allen, his teammate gave an indication he was fine.
“If he say he’s good to go, he’s good to go,” said Payne, who also played with Allen at Alabama. “I know Jon. … He’s always going to try to get back out there and try and help the guys out.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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