Washington Commanders Unranked Among Top 10 Defensive Tackles in NFL Today

Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne were honorable mentions, but neither Washington Commanders DT made the top 10 list.

Oct 9, 2022; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (93) leads teammates out of the tunnel onto the field prior to their game against the Tennessee Titans at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Commanders have been searching for their identity for a couple of seasons now and hope to have found the answer by overhauling the entire staff and roster.

Despite flipping the majority of their roster, the Commanders still have a few holdovers from the previous staff like WR Terry McLaurin, RB Brian Robinson Jr., and DT Jonathan Allen - all of whom have stayed strong through the transition becoming pillars of the new regime.

There was talk surrounding what the Commanders would do with their star defensive tackle Allen all through the offseason as the team is deep at the position after drafting Johnny Newton in the second round of the NFL draft, but nothing has come to fruition regarding whether or not Allen's future resides in Washington or elsewhere.

So, with Allen at least looking to begin his eighth season with the Commanders, he will look to create havoc and return to his Pro Bowl form. With an improved team, on paper, projecting what Allen will achieve in 2024 is difficult, but one can imagine that he should get back to his old ways and that is why executives, scouts, and coaches around the league still hold Allen as one of the best defensive tackles in the game naming him an honorable mention when tackling the top-10 DTs in the NFL entering 2024.

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Oct 9, 2022; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (93) leads teammates out of the tunnel onto the field prior to their game against the Tennessee Titans at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

"Probably had a down year vs. the run but was on a terrible team, and he's got legit pass-rush skills compared to many others on the list. Still has some prime years left."

- NFL Scouting Director

The former first-round pick had somewhat of a down season last year, however, a large part of that was due to the team that surrounded him. With improvement across the board on defense, we should once again see Allen begin to cause issues in opposing offensive backfields.

Teammate and another first round pick by Washington, defensive tackle Daron Payne, also missed the top 10 cut.

"Excellent run player. Strong and powerful with instincts," one NFL personnel director was quoted as saying about Payne. "Good power rusher, especially in one-on-one situations."

Both men will be looking to remind all of the coaches, scouts, and executives that participated of what they bring to the field as the 2024 NFL season gets underway in just under two month's time.

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READ MORE: Washington Commanders LB Bobby Wagner One of the Best Over 30 Players in the NFL

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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