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Redskins News: Jonathan Allen to miss rest of season with Lisfranc injury

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 24: Defensive end Jonathan Allen #95 of the Washington Redskins during the the national anthem before the game against the Oakland Raiders at FedExField on September 24, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 24: Defensive end Jonathan Allen #95 of the Washington Redskins during the the national anthem before the game against the Oakland Raiders at FedExField on September 24, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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Jonathan Allen suffered a Lisfranc injury in the Washington Redskins Week 6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Now, it appears that he will miss the rest of the season.

After escaping the first couple weeks of the NFL season roughly unscathed by injuries, the Redskins have been one of the most unlucky teams in recent weeks. Their health has declined as key players like Rob Kelley, Jordan Reed, and Josh Norman have been forced to miss time with various maladies. Even their kicker, Dustin Hopkins, suffered an injury and he is now out for the season.

On Sunday, it appeared that they had lost another key member of their defense. Late in their victory over the 49ers, rookie Jonathan Allen went down with a foot injury and was immediately declared out. After the game, it was reported that he had a Lisfranc sprain and would miss about a month of the season. Lisfranc injuries are tricky and can often limit players, as evidenced by Matt Schaub’s struggles to recover from the malady. But there was still hope that Allen would be his normal self after a month of recovery.

However, the diagnosis changed on Wednesday afternoon. According to ESPN’s John Keim, Allen is going to miss the rest of the season with the injury. This is a massive blow to the Redskins defense as Allen was one their best linemen.

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Allen’s arrival really helped to transform the Redskins defensive line. A solid all-around player with good pass rushing skills, Allen was a difference maker who helped occupy interior blockers and open up rushing lanes for the edge guys. Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith have benefited greatly from his presence. Without him, the team may not be able to get as much heat on opposing quarterbacks.

To replace Allen, the Redskins are going to have to rely more on Matt Ioannidis to play a big role. Ioannidis, a former fifth round pick, is having a breakout season and looks poised to be a major contributor for the team. He was a ferocious pass rusher against the 49ers, and now he will be the primary pass rushing player on the interior unit.

In addition to Ioannidis, Stacy McGee and Terrell McClain will step into bigger roles. The duo excels in run defense and they both have the ability to slow running backs in the hole thanks to their big bodies. However, neither is a very good pass rusher, so the Redskins are going to have to find another interior guy to step up. Perhaps Anthony Lanier could provide a good rush in a limited role, but if not, Ziggy Hood may have to be used as an end a bit more. Right now, he is playing nose tackle, but his natural position is end.

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This injury is going to be a big one for the Redskins. Allen had played the most snaps of any defensive lineman and he was the unit’s best all-around player. While the team has a couple of players who can help step up to stuff the run, the pass rush will decline a bit which will hurt the team considering their weakness at cornerback. This is just an altogether unfortunate injury. Let’s hope that Allen can overcome this and be a terrific player once again at the start of the 2018 season.

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