ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen returned to practice Wednesday and could be back this season after all, two months after having surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle.
The team opened Allen’s 21-day practice window to pave the way for him to play after he was expected to be out for the rest of the season. He left Washington's game on Oct. 13 at Baltimore and had surgery later that month.
“Whenever you get the game taken away from you, it’s always humbling,” Allen said after practice. “Just really excited to be back with the team and, yeah, just happy to be back out here."
Allen, who turns 30 in January, took part in individual drills during the portion of practice open to reporters. He wore a black noncontact jersey, was listed as a limited participant on the injury report and called it a good first day.
Coach Dan Quinn said Allen’s tear was not as bad as initially feared and the team figured out not long after surgery that a return was possible.
“We had an idea, but you just never know,” Allen said. “I just wanted to just work in silence and just keep going until I had a real opportunity.”
Allen went to New York for a checkup and satisfied all the requirements to get back on the field. Team officials talked to the surgeon and greenlit Allen to try his best.
“He’s built different, for sure,” Quinn said. “It’s a remarkable part of the rehab for him to go through it. There’s a lengthy protocol in the return to make sure we don’t miss a step along the way."
The Commanders have three weeks to activate Allen or put him back on injured reserve. Playing as soon as Sunday against NFC-East leading Philadelphia appears to be a long shot, but Allen could get back for one of the final two games: Dec. 29 against Atlanta or Jan. 4 or 5 at Dallas.
“It’s just about going out there and just feeling comfortable,” Allen said. “Just trying to work my you-know-what off every day so I can help this team in any way possible.”
Allen made 15 tackles and had two sacks in five-plus games before going down. A first-round pick in 2017 out of Alabama, he was selected for the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022 and is Washington's second-longest tenured player after punter Tress Way.
“To have him out there was a great feeling for the D-line,” rookie defensive tackle Johnny Newton said. “He’s our leader for the D-line, him and (Daron) Payne, so having him out there is just new level of energy and just happiness for everybody.”
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FILE _ Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (93) looks on after an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr., File)
FILE - Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (93) looks on between plays during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams, FIle)
Five people were found dead in a Utah home after a man apparently shot his wife and four children before killing himself, police said Wednesday. A 17-year-old boy survived but has a severe brain injury.
Police believe the shooting in a split-level house in a Salt Lake City suburb happened over the weekend. The victims weren't found until Tuesday, however, when a relative who’d been unable to reach the family went inside.
The woman found the badly wounded teen in the garage. Arriving officers then found the mother, 38, and two girls, ages 9 and 2, dead upstairs together in the same bed.
An 11-year-old boy was found dead in a downstairs living room with his father. A handgun underneath the 42-year-old man led police to believe he was the shooter.
Investigators believe the surviving teenage son made his way to the garage after being shot elsewhere.
“The father likely shot all of the members of the family and then himself,” West Valley City Police Department spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said at a news conference.
Neighbors hadn't reported any gunshots in the area over the weekend. They had no previous reports of domestic violence or other disturbances involving the family. So far, there was no note or other evidence pointing to a motive, Vainuku said.
“It’s certainly hard for our community to comprehend,” she said.
The relative had called police on Monday night because she'd been unable to get ahold of the mother for several days, despite usually having regular contact with her, Vainuku said.
Officers looked in windows and spoke to neighbors, but did not find any indications of an emergency or a crime so they asked the family member to keep in contact, she said. After the mom didn't show up for work on Tuesday, the family member entered the home.
“As we know, adults have the right to do what they want to do and they don't have to communicate with their family members if they don't want to,” Vainuku said Tuesday. “So that is kind of a tricky balance in protecting people's rights to do what they want to do but also acknowledging the concerns of family members.”
This Utah case is the 38th mass killing in the United States this year. At least 165 people have died this year in U.S. mass killings, which are defined by the FBI as cases in which four or more people die within a 24-hour period, not including the killer.
Police investigate a crime scene where they say multiple family members were found dead inside a home in West Valley City, Utah, Tuesday Dec. 17, 2024. (Scott G. Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)
Police investigate a crime scene where they say multiple family members were found dead inside a home in West Valley City, Utah, Tuesday Dec. 17, 2024. (Scott G. Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)
An officer walks past a command trailer as police investigate a crime scene where they say multiple family members were found dead inside a home in West Valley City, Utah, Tuesday Dec. 17, 2024. (Scott G. Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)
Police investigate a crime scene where they say multiple family members were found dead inside a home in West Valley City, Utah, Tuesday Dec. 17, 2024. (Scott G. Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)
Technicians investigate a crime scene where police say multiple family members were found dead inside a home in West Valley City, Utah, Tuesday Dec. 17, 2024. (Scott G. Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)
