Will Allen’s role will be one focus of upcoming OTAs

by Brian Biggane

There is an old bromide in sports that a player shouldn’t lose his starting job because of injury. If the Dolphins were to adhere to that thinking, we’d be seeing Will Allen (and not Vontae Davis) lining up at right cornerback when OTAs begin next week.

Of course, that’s not likely to happen. Despite starting only 10 games last season, Davis led the team in interceptions (4), led the secondary in tackles (48) and played the kind of aggressive game the coaches wanted to see.

So where does that leave Allen, whose season was ended by a torn ACL in the late October game against New Orleans last season? Actually, it’s been less than seven months since the injury, so there’s a good chance he’s not up to full speed yet. But even if he is, he’ll turn 32 less than a week into training camp and, while certainly as smart as he ever was, the combination of that injury and age have no doubt taken a toll on his speed and quickness.

Allen told The Miami Herald earlier this year he expects to be a starting corner by the season opener, but if there’s one position at which this team appears set for years to come, that’s it, with Davis and Sean Smith just entering their second seasons.

I hope Allen gets some solid playing time as long as he is healthy. I agree that Davis and Smith are the future but they definitely broke down at times last year. Smith also needs to improve on his tackling. Just let them play it out in camp and during preseason.

Allen told The Miami Herald earlier this year he expects to be a starting corner by the season opener, but if there’s one position at which this team appears set for years to come, that’s it, with Davis and Sean Smith just entering their second seasons.

The most obvious spot for Allen, of course, is nickel, a job left vacant by the free-agent departure of Nate Jones. The job embodies strong coverage skills — Jones often found himself matched up on slot guys like Wes Welker — but an ability to come off the edge and rush the passer when the situation allows it. Allen has four sacks in his four years in Miami, so that’s not foreign to him.

The other obvious consideration for Allen is free safety, where there’s no frontrunner among contenders Tyrone Culver, Chris Clemons and rookie Reshad Jones. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get a look there, either in the veterans mini-camp later this month or early in training camp.

Clearly the club has some plans for him. If not, his crude behavior during his DWI arrest while trying to leave South Beach a couple of months ago might have been rewarded with his walking papers.

In Nickel and dime sets there is no question that Allen will move into the slot.

Why would you put a press coverage corner in the slot over a guy like Will Allen who is both quicker and more experienced than Vontae?

Vontae is a man-press coverage corner though, iowa. Lol. Come on now.