Bruce Allen has had a spotty history as the GM of the Washington Redskins. He could be on the hot seat soon without marked improvement.
Towards the end of the 2017 regular season, speculation began to arise as to how safe Jay Gruden’s job was as head coach of the Redskins. While Gruden appears to be in the clear moving forward into 2018, one has to wonder how safe the Redskins senior management is, specifically team President and General Manager Bruce Allen.
Bruce Allen acted as General Manager from December 2009 until January 2015 when the team hired Scot McCloughan. During that time Allen split GM responsibilities with Head Coach Mike Shanahan. Allen was in charge of all contracts and signings while Shanahan had final say on the final 53. Following the firing of Scot McCloughan in March of 2017, Allen absorbed GM responsibilities for the second time.
Allen is now once again in charge of personnel moves including the NFL Draft, free agency, and contract extensions. While many GMs miss on signings or draft picks over the years, Allen’s record across these three responsibilities during his two tenures as GM is spotty at best.
Allen’s first year
In 2010, throughout Allen’s first year as GM he had a lot of damage control to take care of following the largely unsuccessful term of Vinny Cerato. The biggest (pun intended) problem the team had at that point was historically priced free agent defensive tackle, Albert Haynsworth. In an attempt offset some of the salary cap hits of Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall, Allen implemented his “I-4 Off Ramp” strategy.
This was a unique way within a player’s contract to move their bonus money into the current league year. Allen’s decision to use this strategy during the NFL’s uncapped season in 2010 would result in the Redskins facing $36 million in cap penalties over the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
One could make the argument this was Allen’s bold attempt to further his damage control efforts from the previous regimes. The other argument is that all 32 teams were warned by the league not to violate general cap rules in an attempt to create cap space for future years. So when it was all said and done, Allen’s attempt to clean up the Redskins cap situation caused the turmoil to continue for two more years.
Throughout Allen’s first free agency with the Redskins he would add veteran players like Willie Parker, Larry Johnson, Rex Grossman, and Joey Galloway. The Redskins were offered a lesson as a result of these signings, you get what you pay for.
FanSided
Later in Allen’s first year as GM, he attempted to fix a problem that has long plagued the Redskins organization, the lack of a franchise quarterback. Allen made the decision to trade a second round pick and a conditional third or fourth round pick for the then 34-year-old Eagles quarterback Donavan McNabb. Jason Campbell had shown flashes over the years but was clearly not the answer and was subsequently traded to the Raiders for a fourth round pick.
On Sunday, November 15, the same day the Redskins were set to play McNabb’s former team on Sunday Night Football, the Redskins offered McNabb on five year $78 million extension, despite the team’s 4-4 record. The Redskins lost to the Eagles that night 59-28. A little less than a month later the Redskins were sitting at 5-8, McNabb was benched in favor of Rex Grossman. McNabb was traded to the Minnesota Vikings after the 2010 season for a sixth round pick after going 5-8 as a starter.
Allen would continue to use trades as a primary weapon in rebuilding the Redskins roster. The team acquired Saints offensive tackle Jammal Brown for a conditional third or fourth round pick. Brown had missed the entire previous season due to injury. After providing 15 serviceable games in 2010, Brown was offered a 5 year $20.25 million contract extension. In 2011, Brown would see his availability diminish to 12 games. Brown was released after spending the entire 2012 season on the PUP list.
During the 2010 draft, Allen swapped fifth round picks with the Rams and in the process acquired defensive linemen Adam Carriker who missed the entire 2009 season due to injury. While this trade cost the Redskins very little in terms of draft picks, they picked up a former first round contract. Carriker played in Washington for three seasons, playing all 16 games in the first two. Carriker’s third season was cut short due to injury after two games. He was later released by the Redskins.
Allen’s first draft class was compiled of six players but only yielded two players of impact, Perry Riley and six-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams. The team finished 6-10 in Allen’s first year, last in the division.
Allen’s second year
In 2011, Allen still had a challenge in front of him recovering from the previous regime and a few sour moves of his own. At the start of free agency, Allen signed 30-year-old former Rams safety O.J. Atogwe to a five year $26 million dollar contract. This was a classic Redskins move. Atogewe was a big name with splash play ability. Atogwe started eight games for Washington collecting three interceptions and half a sack. He was released after one season.
Allen also added Stephen Bowen to a five year $27.5 million dollar contract and Barry Cofield to a six year $36 million dollar contract to beef up the Redskins defensive line. Bowen was hardly worth the money as he was plagued by injuries, throughout his four year tenure in Washington. Cofield was a strong signing as he quickly learned to play the 3-4 nose tackle position effectively. Allen also re-signed Santana Moss who was coming off of another 1,000-plus yard season to a team friendly contract.
Allen did have two more decent signings that did not have to drive far before getting to Washington. Corner Josh Wilson and guard Chris Chester, both Ravens in 2010. Wilson played for three years with the Redskins and was serviceable for two of them before his release in 2013. Chester played four years and never missed a game. He went on to follow Kyle Shanahan to Atlanta in 2014 via free agency.
During the 2011, draft Allen had an arsenal of picks to work with, making 12 selections in total. Sitting at No. 10 overall and needing a quarterback, Blain Gabbert was on the board. Thankfully, Allen traded back to No. 16 overall and landed three time Pro Bowler Ryan Kerrigan. Niles Paul as a fifth round pick was a home run for the position taken, but he is more of a fan favorite than a legitimate contributor.
Kerrigan and Paul would be the only players to make a long term impact on the team. Second round pick Jarvis Jenkins out of Clemson was a complete bust. Mid-round picks Leonard Hankerson, Roy Helu, Dejon Gomes, Evan Royster, and Aldrick Robinson all showed potential at one point or another but eventually flamed out. The Redskins four seventh round picks were all non-factors. The Redskins finished 5-11 in Allen’s second year, last in the division.
Allen’s third year
Allen’s third year would be one of the most notable in Redskins history. Free agency was a mixed bag in 2012. Allen signed a pair of receivers, one far more valuable than the other. Pierre Garcon signed a five year $42.5 million dollar contract and played five seasons in Washington. Josh Morgan signed a 5 year $12 million dollar contract with $7.5 million guaranteed. Morgan only got 724 yards and two touchdowns over his first two years, resulting in his release in 2014.
The other signings of note were Brandon Meriweather and Cedric Griffin. Meriweather spent the majority of his three seasons with the Redskins injured. Griffin played in nine games before being suspended for four games by the NFL for violating the substance policy. He was not re-signed after the season. This was another free agency gone by with just one impact player added.
Allen’s biggest move in 2012 is well known by Redskins fans, Rams fans, and NFL fans alike. Now I won’t dive into the deep complexity of the Robert Griffin III saga in Washington and everyone involved, but I will make note of the decision to draft him and what that move cost the organization.
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It goes without question that owner Daniel Synder was a huge factor in the decision to trade up with the Rams, allowing the Redskins to select RG3 second overall. That being said, part of the general manager’s job is to work with the owner and make the best decision possible.
The Redskins desperation for a franchise quarterback caused them to trade three first round picks and one second round pick for the No. 2 overall pick. RG3 and the 2012 Redskins were nothing short of magical. However, Allen’s trade would go on to cripple the Redskins ability to improve their team for years. Even if you want to assign the majority of blame to Snyder, it still happened on Allen’s watch.
The rest of the 2012 was comprised of eight more players in addition to RG3. Of those eight, only two are noteworthy. Alfred Morris who was a massive part of the 2012 season and Kirk Cousins whose future impact could not possibly be realized at the time. From the 2012 draft class, one player is still on the team today. And he might not be for that much long. For those of you keeping count, that’s three players (Williams, Kerrigan, Cousins) still on the team today from Allen’s first three years drafting.
The Redskins finished 10-6 in Allen’s third year, earning first place in the division and a wildcard playoff spot.
Allen’s fourth and fifth years
In 2013, things hit rock bottom on Washington. Through free agency they added nonstarters such as E.J. Biggers and Darryl Tapp. They went on to re-sign Fred Davis, DeAngello Hall, and Rex Grossman. Davis was ultimately suspended indefinitely by the NFL, Hall was past his prime, and Grossman, well, he was Rex Grrossman.
The seven-player 2013 draft class only yielded two players of any significance. Third round pick Jordan Reed and fifth round pick Chris Thompson, both still on the team today. Second round pick David Amerson was a bust with the Redskins but later hit his stride in Oakland. The Redskins finished 3-13 in Allen’s fourth year, last place in the division resulting in the termination of Head Coach Mike Shanahan.
In 2014, Bruce Allen and the Redskins hired Jay Gruden as the clubs 28th head coach. While the Redskins had a new leader on the field, similar struggles continue in the box.
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Allen signed 30 year old Jason Hatcher to a 4 year $27.5 million dollar contract. Hatcher played two years in Washington recording 7.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble. He retired following the 2015 season due to injury. Allen went on to sign Andre Roberts to a 4 year $16 million contract. This signing became wasted money after the team went on to sign DeSean Jackson following his release from the Eagles. In fairness, no one knew Jackson would be available but Allen failed to move Roberts which resulted in him becoming the highest paid No. 4 receiver in the league.
Allen also signed former Browns guard Shawn Lauvao to a 4 year $17 million dollar contract. While Lavuao is still on the team today, he has not been a worthwhile investment. The team also re-signed Chris Baker and Perry Riley, good moves at the time. Allen rounded out his free agent class with guys like Tracy Porter and Darryl Sharpton.
Where things started to look up for Allen was his 2014 draft class which was by far his most successful. Trent Murhpy, Morgan Moses, Spencer Long, Bashaud Breeland, and Ryan Grant drafted in that order all started or were set to start games in 2017. Their impact wasn’t felt immediately but all showed potential. The Redskins finished 4-12 in Allen’s year as fifth year, last in the division.
The Scot McCloughan saga
After a 28-52 record in his first five years it’s clear that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder didn’t believe Allen was fulfilling his role as General Manager. This resulted in the Redskins bringing Scot McCloughan out of his early retirement following his resignation from the Seattle Seahawks in 2014. Allen would abdicated the title of GM to become the team’s Preisdent instead.
Fast forward two years, Kirk Cousins is in a one year deal back and forth game with the Redskins and McCloughan has been fired. All this came despite him having a promising two year run in both the draft and free agency. It resulted in a PR nightmare for the Redskins.
The Redskins did not initially explain why they fired McCloughan following a leave of absence but it was widely reported that it was a result of a relapsing alcohol problem. Bruce Allen stated he “wished him well in his future endeavors”. According to Liz Clarke of the Washington Post, a source “with direct knowledge of the situation attributed the decision to McCloughan’s ongoing problems with alcohol.” This source went on to claim “He showed up in the locker room drunk on multiple occasions”.
Allen later acknowledged that McCloughan’s alcoholism was the reason he was fired but denied being the anonymous source in the Washington Post article. While it’s entirely possible McCloughan’s problems with alcohol lead to his termination or at least played a role, the entire situation seemed suspicious.
Several weeks later at the league’s owners meeting, Allen stated “We needed clarity” in a sit down with NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finley. After the Redskins decided not to hire a replacement, Allen regained full control of the organization with increased roles for Senior VP of Football Operations Eric Shaffer and Senior VP of Player Personnel Doug Williams.
The Redskins went 7-9 in Allen’s sixth year assuming General Manager responsibilities.
Allen’s 2017 offseason
The Redskins 2017 draft class is without a doubt a product of work by both Bruce Allen and Scot McCloughan but at the end of the day, the picks were Bruce’s decision. With their rookie years behind them, there are a few promising prospects like first round pick Jonathan Allen, fourth round picks Samaje Perine and Montae Nicholson, and eventual starter Chase Roullier out of the sixth round. Even Josh Harvey-Clemons got on the field by the end of the season, albeit due to injuries. On the other side of things, second and third round picks Ryan Anderson and Fabian Moreau will have close eyes looking for improvement in 2018.
While it’s too early to fully judge the 2017 free agent class we have a good idea of the good, the bad, and the ugly. The decision to let both Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson go backfired as the Redskins receivers left much to be desired in 2017. On a similar note, the Terrelle Pryor was a nonfactor and will in all likelihood not return in 2018.
Allen also attempted to beef up the defensive line by signing Stacy McGee and Terrell McCain but neither produced as the team had hoped. Allen did make two strong moves by signing Safety D.J. Swearinger and linebacker Zach Brown. Both were strong impact players on and off the field.
The last free agent decision is one that is still unraveling today. The decision to franchise Kirk Cousins for the second year in a row now leaves the team with limited options today in 2018. Now Allen faces what could easily be the largest dilemma of his career.
The Kirk Cousins negotiations and the hot seat
Whether you agree that Kirk Cousins is the long-term answer for the Redskins or not, we should all be able to agree that the worst case scenario for the team would be losing Cousins without compensation. ESPN’s John Keim breaks down the Redskins options and timeline for Cousins here but they are expensive and limited.
Some believe, myself included, that Cousins has no interest in signing with Washington long term. While that may make some look negatively at Cousins I would blame the team that has a long history of creating an environment where quarterbacks don’t or can’t thrive.
Perhaps Cousins hasn’t had to look any further than the man he was once drafted to backup. If the Bruce Allen allows Cousins to leave the team without compensation one has to wonder how Daniel Snyder will react. The Redskins will have lost out on multiple draft picks, possibly even multiple first round picks. I mean, a team once traded a second round pick for a 36-year-old Donavan McNabb, so there’s no telling what Cousins could have fetched on the trade market.
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Allen has a record of 35-61 over six years (taking out the two .500-plus seasons under McCloughan), a poor draft record, subpar free agent resume, and is possibly letting a 29 year old franchise Quarterback walk out the door. Bruce Allen has to be on the hot seat heading into this offseason and it will take one heck of a performance to cool it down before the start of the 2018 season.