On Tuesday, news broke that a top defensive tackle in the NFL was given permission to seek a trade. The Denver Broncos must have strong interest. One area among a couple of others where Denver could improve on defense is at defensive tackle. This is nothing against DJ Jones, as he is good at what he does, but he plays 50% of the snaps at most and is really only there to help stop the run.
I and many others across Broncos Country have said that the team needs to find a better DT - a more well-rounded player who can bring more production from the middle of the defensive line. Well, on Tuesday, Jonathan Allen of the Washington Commanders became the latest player to jump into the NFL trade market.
#Commanders DT Jonathan Allen — who has one year remaining on his deal — was informed by the franchise that he has permission to seek a trade, per sources. pic.twitter.com/y53zRRasjr
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) February 25, 2025
Jonathan Allen would be a great fit on the Denver Broncos defensive line
Just turning 30 years old, Jonathan Allen was the first-round pick of Washington back in 2017 and has spent his entire career with the team. He's made two Pro Bowls and has 109 games of regular season experience.
Across his NFL career, he's got 42 sacks, 401 total tackles, 60 tackles for loss, and 118 QB hits. His best year was probably 2021 where he had nine sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 30 QB hits.
In 2024, he played in just eight games due to injury, but with the Broncos being so good at avoiding and recovering from injury, I am not sure the team would have any concerns about Allen. He does have one more year left on his deal as well.
His cap hit in 2025 would be just over $22 million, so it would be on the high end. However, they could extend him for a year or two to lower the cap number. The financials for the Washington Commanders would be quite easy - they would incur $6 million in dead money but would save about $16.5 million on their own cap figure.
This isn't an issue of the team not having enough cap space, but the Commanders are also paying Daron Payne and did use their 2024 second-round pick on Johnny Newton, a defensive tackle. This is just an instance of Washington wanting to clear some cap space and move on from a player who is beginning to get up there in age.
However, he is still productive and could be the missing piece along the Broncos defensive line.
A potential starting defensive line of Zach Allen, Jonathan Allen, and John Franklin-Myers would be sensational. This would still give the team an opening to bring DJ Jones back and have him in a more rotational role. Malcolm Roach has one more year left on his deal as well, and he was quite good in 2024 if you ask me.
There may not be a better option right now for some immediate production along the DL than swinging a trade for Jonathan Allen.