The Washington Commanders' active roster has been a revolving door of who's healthy and who's not, leading to some crowded position groups. One of those is at running back, where someone had to make room for the returning Jeremy McNichols.
That somebody was Kaytron Allen, a player they invested a draft pick in only six months ago.
The Commanders signed Austin Ekeler last week and also called up Craig Reynolds from the practice squad. Rachaad White missed Week 4's contest against the Indianapolis Colts, but he should be back soon.
Commanders have an infuriating preference for aging veterans over young talent
Now, McNichols needs to slot in somewhere. And Washington's decision to waive Allen once again favored experience over development.
The Commanders reportedly want to bring Allen back to the practice squad if he clears waivers, but they clearly like Reynolds more than they should, so it's not hard to see why the Penn State product faces an uncertain future.
Washington elected to go for a midfield fourth-and-one in London with its fourth-string running back right up the gut, and its failure was a momentum-shifting play in favor of the Colts.
Reynolds' elevation in and of itself looks like a classic case of head coach Dan Quinn's fatally flawed bias toward journeyman veterans over youth and promise.
Undrafted rookie Robert Henry Jr. is another example.
Henry showed much more upside during the preseason. And it's too late to correct it now, because the UTSA product just got plucked off the practice squad by the Seattle Seahawks.
And then, just for the icing on the cake, the Commanders have now waived their sixth-round rookie to make room for McNichols, a respected special-teams presence who's limited when given carries.
Commanders haven't done enough to develop their drafted players under Dan Quinn
The Commanders' downfall over the past two seasons has been a lack of development from general manager Adam Peters' draft picks. And it's hard to blame that on the players when some of them aren't even given a chance.
In four games, Allen had 12 carries for 41 rushing yards. He probably won't be a superstar in the NFL, but he's a promising power back who can get you a few when you need a few.
He was supposed to step into the Chris Rodriguez Jr. role in Washington after he left for the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. Allen still could if he clears waivers and signs back to the practice squad.
But you could forgive him for turning down this opportunity if another offer comes in from elsewhere.
Still, it's befuddling.
Reynolds gives you nothing. And now that Ekeler is back in the fold, the Commanders are rostering three receiving backs, including McNichols. Once White is healthy again, the 10th-year role player from Boise State will be completely redundant, aside from special teams involvement.
This whole situation encapsulates Peters and Quinn's time in Washington.
They've neglected their draft picks by signing marginal journeymen to play over them. Last year, Chris Moore and Robbie Chosen got snaps at receiver instead of Jaylin Lane and Luke McCaffrey. Now it's this.
The Commanders are deeper at running back than they were last year, so unfortunately, somebody has to be left out in a healthy room.
But this wasn't the move.
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