The Dallas Cowboys find themselves in the thick of it involving a former All-Pro player made available via trade.
Jonathan Allen, a former 1st round pick of the Washington Commanders (formerly the Washington Football Team and pre-formally the Washington Redskins), has been granted permission for him and his agent to seek a trade partner.
Washington still has fellow 1st round DT DaRon Payne and second-year player Jer’Zahn “Johnny” Newton on the roster, but Allen would be a heavy loss, no matter who is there to try and fill his shoes.
Jonathan Allen is exactly the type of player that the Dallas Cowboys need to inject into their defense to take it to the next level.
Defensive tackle hasn’t been a position of strength for the Cowboys since the Jay Ratliff and Chris Canty days, but it’s not for lack of trying.
Dallas invested a first round pick at the position in 2022 when they drafted Mazi Smith, but he has not been the impact player they expected from a John Harbaugh-coached Michigan team.
Acquiring talent at defensive tackle hasn’t worked in the Cowboys’ favor, and there is even doubt as to whether or not free agent DT Osa Odighizuwa is worth the money that it would take to get him to stay in Dallas.
One thing is for certain: the Cowboys need help at defensive tackle, and there are several good reasons to make a play for Jonathan Allen from their NFC East rival, Washington Commanders.
Immediate Impact
Jonathan Allen is an elite defensive tackle, and is widely feared by offensive coordinators across the NFL.
His ability to disrupt plays from the interior of the defensive line would be a game-changer for the Cowboys, and something they have been missing for nearly a decade.
Allen only played eight games this past season, thanks to a torn pectoral muscle suffered in October. Yet, he still managed 3.0 sacks, giving him at least one in each season of his career.
This shows that not only can Allen clog running lanes, but he can also rush the quarterback, giving him a deadly combination of skills.
Pairing Allen with a dynamic pass-rusher like EDGE Micah Parsons would cause immediate nightmares for opposing offenses.
Trusted Results
Since entering the NFL in 2017, Allen has been remarkably consistent, save his injury-shortened 2024.
The former Alabama superstar has tallied 42.0 sacks and 60 tackles for loss over the course of his career, proving he is capable of being a game-changer when called upon.
Allen has been a cornerstone of a Washington defense that has seen much change since 2017, yet it remains a formidable unit on a yearly basis, partly because of Allen’s leadership and performance on the field.
The Cowboys have lacked a playmaker at defensive tackle for some time now, and Jonathan Allen can help fill that void.
Doing Something About the Run
One of the Cowboys’ biggest weaknesses in recent years has been their ability to stop the run, consistently. The defense, under both Dan Quinn and Mike Zimmer, had mixed results.
The run defense looked much improved near the end of the season under Zimmer, but adding Jonathan Allen to the interior of the defensive line would create a seismic shift in that regard.
At 6’3″ and 315lbs, Allen has the size and power to clog running lanes and occupy more than one blocker on his way to the ball-carrier. His skillset makes him a formidable force in stopping both inside and outside runs.
This would allow new DC Matt Eberflus to be more versatile in his scheme. Think of how Chauncey Golston was used in Dallas, and now imagine Golston being much better than what he is. That’s how it would feel for Allen to play on this defense.
There Is a Question of Pie
Nobody wants to hear this, but the first thing the front office is going to ask when Jonathan Allen’s name is brought up in a possible trade is how much is he going to cost?
According to Spotrac.com., Allen is set to count $22.353 million against the cap. That’s a number that would make Stephen Jones cringe, and I guarantee they’d prefer to just sign Osa to an extension at that amount.
If the Cowboys pull off this trade, they could also just extend Allen beyond 2025. He just turned 30, but a three-year deal would allow Dallas to spread the cap hit in their favor.
However, it’s not behavior we are used to seeing from them, and nothing has shown us that we can expect a change in the status quo. We might just have to get used to teams running right up the middle against us.