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Washington Redskins president Bruce Allen faces crucial test at draft

By Ian Cummings

ASHBURN, VA - JANUARY 04: Washington Redskins General Manager Bruce Allen leaves after holding a press conference on the dismissal of Head Coach Jim Zorn at Redskins Park January 4, 2010 in Ashburn, Virginia. During the press conference Allen said, 'Last place 2 years in a row is not Redskin football.' (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
ASHBURN, VA - JANUARY 04: Washington Redskins General Manager Bruce Allen leaves after holding a press conference on the dismissal of Head Coach Jim Zorn at Redskins Park January 4, 2010 in Ashburn, Virginia. During the press conference Allen said, 'Last place 2 years in a row is not Redskin football.' (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) /
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The 2018 NFL Draft is a crucial one, not just for the direction of the Washington Redskins’ franchise in a turning point, but also for the fate of one certain front office staff member.

For almost a decade, Bruce Allen, son of former Washington Redskins head coach George Allen, has been the president, and more often than not, the acting general manager of the Washington Redskins franchise.

Allen’s tenure has been marked by tumult, and now, 52 wins, 75 losses, one tie, and countless negative publicity episodes later, Allen is treading on thin ice. According to local media member Chris Russell, per our own Jacob Camenker, if Allen takes one more step back, he will be “re-assigned”. Here’s what Russell said in a video:

"I’m told that Dan — he’s not going to make a move today, or any time right now — but if another major episode happens, or if they do not win this year, the full expectation among a couple of people, including a couple of high-end people, is that they will reassign Bruce into the stadium development department, to lead that, and take him out of football. Eric Schaffer fully taking over."

Whether fans want Allen gone or not is one thing. Regardless of that, this is a very important draft for Bruce Allen. Dan Snyder wants normalcy to be the norm, and for years, that hasn’t been the case. The slip-ups have been plentiful in number. The Robert Griffin III trade. The abrupt firing of Scot McCloughan. And the gross mishandling of the Kirk Cousins situation at almost all fronts.

Last year, many believed that the Washington Redskins used Scot McCloughan’s draft board even after he had been fired. This year, however, the training wheels are off. This year, the decisions will be made entirely by Doug Williams, Eric Schaffer, Kyle Smith, and the highest authority in the front office, Bruce Allen. Whatever happens, it will all come back to him.

The Washington Redskins’ roster is close to competing. Even in a competitive playoff landscape, the team is just a few good picks away from making an impact and surprising a lot of people. By trading for Alex Smith, Bruce Allen showed that he is ready to bulk up and win now. His draft philosophy must follow this example, or else his job could be lost.

Next: Washington Redskins pre-Draft roster analysis

The 2018 NFL Draft is an important one for Bruce Allen. Can he correct years of malpractice, or will he find a way to sullen the waters again? Allen has succeeded before, but consistency has not often been a commodity for the tenured front office employee. Perhaps, 2018 will bring change. But old habits are very hard to break.

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