While Washington Redskins defensive end Jonathan Allen admits to making progress, he's not sure he'll be ready for a full workload when Organized Team Activities begin in a few weeks.
Allen recorded 10 tackles and one sack in five games during his rookie season before being placed on injured reserve with a Lisfranc foot injury.
"I'm going to be honest, the OTAs they start like end of April, and this will be my first time, so I would like to think so, but I mean, honestly, there's no way of telling at this point," Allen said, via the team's website. "I feel like I'm going to be in a good spot come OTAs, so I'm excited for that, and right now, I'm just taking it day by day just trying to grind."
Allen, who was the 17th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Alabama, did note that he sees improvement with his foot, however.
"I'm out there running, getting off the ball, cutting back," Allen said. "And there's definitely a balance because you don't want to rush back so early, but I feel really good right now. I'm excited about how much progress I made, and I'm looking forward to getting started."
Allen isn't alone, as Redskins linebacker Mason Foster has expressed high hopes for the 23-year-old.
"I think the sky's the limit for him," Foster said last month. "You see how athletic he is and how agile he is but a lot of times you see him in person and shake his hand and hang out with him you don't realize how big he is, how big and strong he is.
"In the way that he works, he's in here now doing the ladders and him and Matt [Ioannidis] in here killing each other, trying to lift with Ziggy [Hood], running all the time, so I think you see a guy with that much raw talent and that much drive to be good and he surrounds himself with guys that are pushing him, I think he's going to be big-time in this league."
