Devon Allen isn't giving up his opportunity to make the Philadelphia Eagles despite the talented wide receiver group that stands in front of him. Allen earned his first NFL reception, which went for a 55-yard touchdown for the Olympic hurdler.
Playing just six snaps in his debut with the Eagles last week, Allen earned his first target this preseason -- taking full advantage of the opportunity for the score. Allen also hurdled as his touchdown celebration.
.@ReidSinnett → @DevonAllen13
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 21, 2022
SPEED KILLS 💨
📺:#PHIvsCLE on @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/rjsuj9KRIN
Allen ran the 110-meter hurdles in 12.84 seconds in June -- the third-fastest in history. He made the finals of the world championships before getting disqualified as a computer determined he had a false start in the event. Allen's reaction time was 1/1000th of a second faster than the threshold.
Allen signed a three-year contract with the Eagles in April after running a 4.35 40-yard dash at Oregon's Pro Day. That was enough for the Eagles to give the 27-year-old wide receiver a good look this summer.
Why did Allen take so long to give football a shot? He suffered two ACL injuries in his career at Oregon, the first in the left knee at the 2015 College Football Playoff. He returned for his senior season at Oregon and tore the ACL in his right knee in 2016, not having played a football game since (he signed a professional track and field contract in 2016).
In between the ACL tears, Allen finished fifth at the 2016 Rio Olympics in 110-meter hurdles. He's a three-time national champion in the 110-meter hurdles (2014, 2016, 2018) and a two-time Olympian in the event. Allen finished fourth in the 110-meter hurdles in the 2020 Beijing Olympics last summer.
While Allen is a longshot to make the Eagles' 53-man roster, he isn't going down without a fight. Allen still has a great opportunity at the practice squad, which expanded to 16 players this year.
