Getty Jonathan Allen looking forward.
The Washington Commanders‘ top trade asset is defensive tackle, Jonathan Allen. Allen’s a two-time Pro Bowler and is regarded as one of the top defensive players in football. Throughout the regular season, he showed frustration with the Commanders, and a breakup seems probable between the two.
Blacher Report’s Alex Kay proposed a trade that would send Allen to the Houston Texans for a 2024 second-round pick (No. 59 overall) and a 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 123 overall). Allen would join a contending team and the Commanders land more draft capital as they head into their rebuild.
“Houston did well against the run in 2023—ranking No. 6 after giving up just 96.6 yards per game—but it had issues consistently getting after the quarterback and applying pressure from the interior of the defensive line. The Texans ranked in the bottom 10 for pass defense and collected a middling 46 sacks on the campaign.
“Bringing in a stalwart defensive tackle like Jonathan Allen would instantly bolster their ability to disrupt in the backfield. While the 29-year-old is coming off a down year—his 5.5 sacks were his fewest since 2020—along with plenty of his Washington Commanders teammates, he’s still a reliable defender who can both rush the passer and stop the run at a high level.”
The deal for the Texans makes sense, but for Washington, they have to be smart when possibly moving on from Allen. With Dan Quinn taking over, the culture could change for the Commanders. At times, that’s all a player needs.
Jonathan Allen Is the Commanders Top Trade Chip
With two years on his contract, Allen’s value is at an all-time high on the trade market. The Commanders have to recognize from his previous comments that he doesn’t want to return and will leave in free agency in 2026.
Allen made it known on “Sports Junkies” that he has thought about playing elsewhere before.
“1,000 percent. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. I play this game to win, and I would love to win here, for sure. But I want to win, first and foremost.”
If that isn’t an indication that they need to move him now, then nothing is. He’s made it obvious that it’s time to separate and this offseason gives them a perfect opportunity to do that. When also considering that the Washington Commanders will have a new head coach and likely a rookie quarterback, the decisions even easier. They can’t have guys in the locker room who don’t want to be there.
Commanders Defense Can’t Get Much Worse
On the bright side, the Washington Commanders defense can’t get much worse. They allowed the most points in football last season, giving up more than 30 points per game.
Moving Allen wouldn’t solve the issues of the defense, but keeping him clearly didn’t either last season.
For the Houston Texans, they would improve their defense and continue to build something special. Rookie quarterback CJ Stroud has already won a playoff game and adding another player that’s elite on defense will make their already impressive unit even better.
Kay explained why this would be a good fit for the Texans.
“In the span of a single season, the Houston Texans went from a league laughingstock to, arguably, the most exciting squad of the 14 that made this edition of the NFL playoffs. The emergence of No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud as a bona fide franchise quarterback sped up the club’s rebuilding process, but a blowout divisional-round loss to the Baltimore Ravens showed there is still a long way to go.”