On a day the Bengals defense signed two Opening Day mainstays, Thursday afternoon reports said it had added another when the club agreed to a two-year deal with one of the NFL's most estimable defensive tackles in Jonathan Allen.
Allen, 31, is a two-time Pro Bowl three-technique whose ability to pressure the passer from the interior may very well put him in the Opening Day starting lineup. According to Pro Football Reference, Allen has the eighth-most sacks by a defensive tackle in the 2020s, more than interior stalwarts such as Javon Hargrave, Ed Oliver, Leonard Williams, Quinnen Wiliams, and Nnamdi Madubuike.
He's one year removed from starting 17 games in Minnesota on a massive three-year, $51 million deal in which $31 million was guaranteed. The Vikings, facing a salary cap crunch, released him after a season he led the Minnesota interior with more than 800 snaps and had 3.5 sacks to go with seven tackles for loss.
The 6-3, 300-pound Allen, out of Alabama via Stone Bridge, Va., was the 17th pick in the 2017 draft by Washington, where he spent his first eight seasons becoming one of the top interior pass rushers in the game. After he missed nine games in 2024, the Commanders released him, ending a 109-game stint he had 42 sacks.
The Allen news broke shortly after the newly-signed safety Bryan Cook and edge Boye Mafe met the Cincinnati media with their three Super Bowl rings. Allen brings four playoff games of experience and gives defensive coordinator Al Golden a respected veteran with skins on the wall in their search for more experienced leaders on a young unit.
