Allen, 31, did what he always does when he’s healthy last year in Minnesota. He played at least 722 snaps (the number was 811) and didn’t miss a game in getting 3.5 sacks and 11 hits on the quarterback.
The year before that in Washington, he injured his pectoral muscle in the Commanders’ sixth game, and when he underwent surgery, he thought his season was done. When he woke up, they told him he could be back for the playoffs, where he was able to help Washington to the NFC title game in his second postseason experience.
“It was unreal. It was unreal. I mean, there’s nothing like it. Playing playoff football is unreal,” Allen said. “Cincinnati is not too far removed from the Super Bowl. With a guy like Joe Burrow in that offense and the things we’re going to be able to do on defense, it’s going to be an exciting year, and looking forward to what we can do.”
He’s tough, durable and his 11 quarterback hits last year would have led the Bengals’ interior, and his 3.5 sacks would have been second to B.J. Hill’s four. When Allen was cut from the Vikings on Wednesday, the Bengals didn’t hesitate in dealing with him Thursday in order to continue their defensive facelift that already had Chiefs safety Bryan Cook and Seahawks edge Boye Mafe.
On his end, the Bengals had everything Allen sought.
“It was where I thought I was going to be the most happy.” Allen said. “It was always winning. But for me, I want to go somewhere that we have a chance to compete, and where I feel like I can showcase my talents and help the team at the same time. And this is one of the few places where I felt like I could have my cake and eat it too.
“When you have a guy like Burrow, you always have a chance. You’re never out of it. With the coaches we have here and the players that they already have in, and they’ve been bringing in, I just felt like this was the perfect fit for me and my family.”
Montgomery loves how Allen can play all three downs, but he says he’ll keep his age in mind when he manages the snaps, and Allen can get on board with that.