The Miami Dolphins needed help in the backfield, and they found it by taking a low-cost swing on a young runner with a strong college résumé.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Miami claimed former Washington Commanders running back Kaytron Allen on waivers after his release. Schefter reported, "Source: Former Commanders RB Kaytron Allen was claimed today on waivers by the Miami Dolphins,"
The move fits the Dolphins’ current reality. With major cap hits from released veterans like Tua Tagovailoa and Bradley Chubb eating up a large part of their books, Miami is operating with a tight budget this season. Over the next two years, the team is carrying more than $100 million in dead cap hits, so cheap, young talent is the obvious place to look.
The timing matters, too. De'Von Achane is out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury, leaving Miami short on running back depth. Ollie Gordon II gives them a solid No. 1 option, and Jaylen Wright is useful depth, but Wright is dealing with some bumps and bruises, and the rest of the room doesn’t offer much.
Allen brings production from his Penn State days. Last season with the Nittany Lions, he ran for 1,303 yards and scored 15 touchdowns. That performance helped get him drafted by Washington with the No. 187 pick in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
His time with the Commanders didn’t last long. After four games, Washington moved on, and Miami stepped in to add him to its 53-man roster. For a Dolphins team in need of help, Allen gives them another body - and a potentially useful one - in the backfield.
In Other News...
Commanders Enter Giants Showdown With One Huge Question Under Center
Washington is back home for a familiar kind of NFC East test, facing the Giants in its third division game in three weeks as it tries to keep pace in the standings. The Commanders also spent the week sorting through a long injury list, with six players ruled out, leaving little margin for error as they turn the page on another important game in the division.
Under center, the plan has been set for Sunday. Jayden Daniels will start at quarterback, with rookie Athan Kaliakmanis behind him on the depth chart, after Marcus Mariotas latest knee setback forced the team to adjust again at the game's most scrutinized position. For a Commanders team trying to improve its place in the NFC East, how long it can stay on that track is still the question hanging over the matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Let A Wild Chance Slip Away In Frustrating Giants Tie
The Commanders spent Sunday in a game that kept swinging between opportunity and frustration, and it ended right back where it started: in a 27-27 tie with the Giants after overtime. Washington had chances to leave with a much cleaner result, especially in a game where New York handed the door open late, but the visitors could never quite turn those moments into a finish that counted.
For a team still searching for traction, the tie lands like a missed opening more than a consolation prize. Washington is now 1-3-1, a record that reflects how thin the margin has been in several of these early games, while the Giants moved to 3-1-1. The Commanders will be left sorting through how a game with so much in play still slipped through their hands when it mattered most. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Passing Game Suddenly Rests On Terry McLaurins Hamstring
Terry McLaurins hamstring has turned into one of the most important subplots of the Commanders Week 5 prep, with the receiver listed as questionable for Sundays game against the Giants. Washington also is already without Stefon Diggs, which leaves the passing game thinner than it would like at a time when every available target matters.
There is at least some optimism McLaurin will suit up after missing the Week 4 loss to Indianapolis, but even that does not come with a full workload expectation. If he is active, the Commanders appear likely to ease him back in with limited snaps, leaving his availability and effectiveness as separate questions heading into a division game that could use all the help it can get. [Read more 🡒]