The Washington Commanders made a surprising move on Thursday. Washington released its 2026 sixth-round pick, running back Kaytron Allen. Releasing Allen clears the way for the team to activate veteran running back Jeremy McNichols, whose 21-day return window opened on Wednesday. The Commanders will likely wait for Allen to clear waivers before re-signing him to the practice squad.
Sounds reasonable, right?
Well, not according to some Washington fans, who believe that general manager Adam Peters just cut loose a potential starting running back. Seriously. Allen appeared in four games this season for the Commanders, carrying the ball 12 times for 41 yards. Like Washington’s other running backs, those numbers are fairly pedestrian.
At 1-3, Washington
has earned criticism. That includes Peters, as some of his draft picks have been slow to develop. You can blame Peters for picking the wrong players, or head coach Dan Quinn’s staff for not developing some of them. But a sixth-round running back is where you draw the line?
Washington’s running game has issues. That’s why they brought back 31-year-old Austin Ekeler. And while the Commanders have struggled with run blocking, did you notice Ekeler came in last week and carried the ball four times for 29 yards?
This isn’t about Washington loving “old players” at the expense of draft picks. If the draft pick were better, he’d play. But Allen is Penn State’s all-time rushing leader? How exactly does that translate into the NFL? The knocks on Allen coming out of college were his lack of explosiveness. He was a plodder. He’d get what was blocked for him, but not much else.
Starter Jacory Croskey-Merritt has struggled, too. He’s averaging fewer than three yards per attempt. Croskey-Merritt’s issue is patience and vision, which is why Ekeler could immediately come in and find openings. Ekeler is quick, but he’s also patient with tremendous vision. Allen doesn’t possess anywhere close to Croskey-Merritt’s athleticism.
With McNichols back, along with Ekeler and Rachaad White, the Commanders have three veteran backs in an effort to jumpstart the running game. Washington also hopes the return of right guard Sam Cosmi helps the run game. Meanwhile, the Commanders can stash Allen on the practice squad, let him develop, and elevate him later if any running backs get injured.
Forget criticizing Peters over waiving a sixth-round pick. It happens across the NFL every year. Do you really want to criticize Peters for something worthwhile? I’d love to know why he never valued Chris Rodriguez Jr. Was it because he was a draft pick from the previous regime? Throughout his three years with the Commanders, Rodriguez produced every time his number was called. However, he often remained buried on the depth chart. Whether it was Quinn or Peters, Washington seemed to never fully appreciate Rodriguez, even in games where he rescued them.
Rodriguez is now the Jaguars’ No. 2 running back. He’s averaging 52 rushing yards per game, 4.2 yards per attempt, and has scored two rushing touchdowns. You can’t tell me that Rodriguez wouldn’t be one of the Commanders’ top three backs in 2026.
Peters deserves criticism. No doubt. For two years, fans were saying, “Let AP cook.” Now, they want him gone. Life comes at you fast in the NFL.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders' fans upset over release of rookie running back
