5 winners and losers from the Commanders preseason win vs. Bengals

Loser No. 1

Kazmeir Allen - Commanders WR/KR

There was a big opportunity awaiting Kazmeir Allen in this one. The Washington Commanders wanted to see what they truly had in the promising undrafted free agent, with a potential roster spot up for grabs if he impressed enough during increased involvement.

Sadly for Allen, he fluffed his lines. He was credited with two drops in the passing game that could have been brought in, with the UCLA product also fumbling a punt return inside the 10-yard line before quickly recovering.

This poor performance came at the worst possible time for Allen. The Commanders were looking to see if the wideout could be trusted when the real action arrived, so it would be surprising to see his name on the initial 53-man roster after this performance.

Ron Rivera and his staff are under immense pressure to improve the team's fortunes this season with Josh Harris' ownership group watching every move closely. If those in power feel like Allen could jeopardize their chances of potential playoff contention, they'll move on despite having high hopes about what he could bring to the organization.

If Allen is let go as anticipated, he's a strong candidate for the practice squad. This keeps him around as a development piece in the hope he can become what the Commanders envisaged when they made him a high-priority signing after the 2023 NFL Draft.