The Washington Commanders keep popping up in wide receiver chatter, but the latest name tied to them may be the one that fades fastest.
ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler said during a conversation with The Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan that the Commanders have been " implicated" in talks for Keenan Allen over the last few weeks, according to his sources around the league. But Fowler also made it clear not much seems to be happening there, adding that there was "nothing going on" between both parties.
That should be welcome news for Commanders fans.
Allen is still one of the bigger names on the free-agent market. In his prime, he was a polished route-runner and a six-time Pro Bowler.
Over 13 seasons, he has piled up 12,051 receiving yards and 70 touchdowns. Even last season with the Los Angeles Chargers, the 2013 third-round pick produced 777 yards and four scores.
The résumé is real. The age is real, too. Allen is 34, and that matters because Washington has already moved away from the kind of veteran-heavy swings it took last offseason.
The Commanders loaded up on aging players chasing a title a year ago, and the result was five wins, a pile of injuries to important pieces, and a team that lost its edge. General manager Adam Peters has clearly taken a different path since then. Allen might still help a team, but this sort of addition would cut against the direction Washington appears to be heading.
That same logic may explain why nothing has come together with Stefon Diggs either. Diggs has been open about wanting a Washington homecoming, but the move still hasn’t happened. It could still change, but if Peters were truly locked in on it, the deal likely would already be done.
Allen should find a landing spot before Week 1. A contender looking for a dependable secondary option feels like the cleanest fit. What no longer feels realistic is asking him to carry a passing game as a WR1 or even a WR2.
Washington still has questions in its receiver room, especially with Terry McLaurin’s situation drawing attention. So the Commanders may still be in the market for help. But Peters is not going to tip his hand, and until he does, the rest of the league is left guessing.
In Other News...
Brandon Aiyuk Just Put Washington In A Really Uncomfortable Spot
Brandon Aiyuks latest online run-in has kept his name attached to Washington in a way the Commanders probably never wanted. The former 49ers receiver has been a topic of conversation well beyond the field, and the chatter has only grown after his recent trolling of Jayden Daniels, a move that has people around the league talking about where this all goes next.
For Washington, the uncomfortable part is that Aiyuk had already become linked to the franchise as a possible destination if his situation in San Francisco ever broke open. Now that possibility looks far murkier, with former players publicly questioning both his future in the league and whether the issue has drifted into something bigger than football. The Commanders are left watching a story that once seemed about roster movement turn into something far more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Suddenly Have A Real Answer To Their Biggest O-Line Risk
The Commanders center situation has been one of the quieter but more important questions on the roster since they released Tyler Biadasz, leaving Nick Allegretti to handle the starting job with rookie Matt Gulbin behind him. It is the kind of depth chart arrangement that can work in the short term, but it also leaves little margin for error if injuries or inconsistency show up in the middle of the line.
ESPNs Adam Schefter reported that Ethan Pocic is back to football activities and ready for another opportunity, which gives Washington a veteran option to think about if it wants more stability at the position. For the Commanders, the appeal is less about making a splash and more about strengthening a spot where competition and insurance matter, especially if they want to keep the interior of the line from becoming a weekly concern. [Read more 🡒]