Redskins: Four steps to a successful conclusion of the 2019 season

No. 1 – Relieve Bruce Allen of his duties in football operations

A lot has to happen for the Redskins in the coming months. Evaluations will run rampant, and decisions will be made, as to who to keep and who to part with. Those evaluations will not stop at the president’s office; it is possible that Dan Snyder could make a change.

It’s been ten years since Allen took the mantle of team president for Washington, and in that time frame, he’s amassed an astounding 100 losses, averaging double-digit losses per season. Allen’s evaluation should have come long before now, but the erosive effect of perennial failure may have finally made its mark.

It will likely be tough for Snyder to fire one of his good friends. At times, Snyder and Allen were two of the most polarizing figures in D.C., and when they were the subject of disdain, they assumed that role together. Snyder and Allen have been a package deal since before 2010, and it’ll take a lot of courage and introspection for Snyder to break that bond, for the future of his franchise.

If Snyder does not make the change, and relieve Allen of his duties in football operations, then the consequences could be dire. Allen has already shown himself to lack the foresight and intrinsic long-term understanding required to run a team successfully, and if he’s put in charge of the team’s construction over the course of Haskins’ rookie deal window, then failure is all but guaranteed.

Any progress from this point forward has to be prefaced by the removal of Allen from his role of oversight. Coaching candidates don’t want to work under Allen, free agents with a choice won’t choose a team led by Allen, teams don’t respect Allen as a trade partner, and certain in-house players, like Trent Williams, have already lost their total trust in Allen.

Allen’s presence is detrimental to the pursuit of long-term success, and Snyder can help give the franchise new life by removing or re-assigning Allen in 2020. Without this ending, 2019 is a failure, and the years that follow will not be so different.