Commanders DT Jonathan Allen Ranks Among Best NFL Defenders in New Metric

Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen is among the NFL’s top three in a new metric designed to measure the value of each pass rush while fellow front-seven members Daron Payne and Montez Sweat rank in the top 40.

The Washington Commanders struck gold when defensive tackle Jonathan Allen fell to Pick No. 17 in the 2017 NFL Draft. 

Since joining the franchise Allen has been a leader in his on-field play and professional demeanor with the Commanders. 

Allen’s business-like personality with the media makes him popular among media while his intensity on the field has made him a fan-favorite and team captain.

It’s also made him top three in the NFL in a new statistical measurement created by Brandon Thorn of Trench Warfare and Bleacher Report.

“I created a metric called ‘Pressure quality ratio’ (PQR) that reflects the rate of high-quality to low-quality pressures,” says Thorn. “It’s a good way to look at the most potent pass-rushers who may not have the volume of pressures as others.”

As it applies to Allen, the Washington star had a pressure quality ratio of 1.79 which trailed only Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys with a  2.27 and Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns with a ratio of 3.12. 

According to Thorn, “A score of 1.00 or better in the PQR signals a rusher that was on an absolute heater during the season. That means that at least every other pressure was on average HQ (high quality.)”

Only 12 NFL players scored 1.00 or better in this metric, making Allen among the league’s most rare defenders in how often his pass rushes register as being high quality.

Defensive tackle Daron Payne ranks No. 22 in PQR with a .78 ratio while defensive end Montez Sweat is 32nd with a ratio of .54.

Together the trio produced 125 quarterback pressures last season with three of them being of rare quality while 54 were high quality. 

While Allen led the threesome in PQR it was Sweat who lead the Commanders defensive linemen in pressure score, which accounts for each pressure and scores the players who applied it to opposing quarterbacks most often. 

Sweat’s score of 36.5 was top among Washington defensemen and 12th in the NFL last season. 

To read about the full metric breakdown and see where top NFL defenders ranked, check out Thorn’s Trench Warfare Newsletter.

Find David Harrison on the Locked On Commanders podcast or text him directly at (202) 760-2188.

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