Ricardo Allen

Ricardo Allen
refer to caption
Allen with the Atlanta Falcons in 2014
No. 37
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1991-12-18) December 18, 1991 (age 32)
Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:186 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:Mainland
(Daytona Beach, Florida)
College:Purdue (2010–2013)
NFL draft:2014 / round: 5 / pick: 147
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:355
Sacks:1.0
Pass deflections:26
Interceptions:11
Fumble recoveries:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Ricardo Jamal Allen (born December 18, 1991) is a former American football safety and coach who was an offensive assistant for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft where he played 7 seasons before playing his final season with the Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football at Purdue. He coached two seasons with the Dolphins and was released after the 2023 season.

Early life

[edit]

Allen attended Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida.[1] Allen committed to Purdue University on October 16, 2009.[2]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Ricardo Allen
CB 		Daytona Beach, Florida Mainland High School 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 4.35 Oct 16, 2009 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 76
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 34 (CB)   Rivals: 29 (CB), 57 (FL)  ESPN: 50 (CB)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Purdue Football Commitment List (24)". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  • "Purdue College Football Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  • "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 9, 2013.

College career

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As a freshman at Purdue in 2010, Allen recorded 73 total tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, one sack, three interceptions, two pick-sixes, and seven passes defended.[3] As a sophomore in 2011, he recorded 79 total tackles, three tackles-for-loss, three interceptions, one pick-six, one forced fumble, and seven passes defended.[4] As a junior in 2012, Allen broke the Purdue record for interceptions for touchdowns.[5] In total, he recorded 45 total tackles, four sacks, one tackle-for-loss, one pick six, and five passes defended.[6] He was a second team All-Big Ten Conference selection.[7] As a senior in 2013, he recorded 53 total tackles, four tackles-for-loss, one sack, six interceptions, three passes defended, and one forced fumble.[8]

Statistics

[edit]
Purdue Boilermakers
Season Tackles Interceptions
Solo Ast Cmb TfL Sck FF Int Yds Avg TD PD
2010 56 17 73 3.5 1.0 0 3 129 43.0 2 7
2011 60 19 79 3.0 0.0 1 3 37 12.3 1 7
2012 42 3 45 4.0 1.0 0 1 39 39.0 1 5
2013 42 11 53 4.0 1.0 1 6 42 7.0 0 3
Career[9] 200 50 250 14.5 3.0 2 13 247 19.0 4 22

Professional career

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Allen at Falcons training camp in 2014
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 9+1⁄8 in
(1.76 m) 		187 lb
(85 kg) 		30 in
(0.76 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.61 s 1.66 s 2.72 s 4.15 s 6.90 s 35.5 in
(0.90 m)		 9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		 13 reps
All values are from NFL Combine/Purdue's Pro Day[10][11][12]

Atlanta Falcons

[edit]

2014

[edit]

The Atlanta Falcons selected Allen in the fifth round (147th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft.[13] Allen was the 18th cornerback selected in 2014.[14]

On May 18, 2014, the Falcons signed Allen to a four-year, $2.42 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $200,500.[15][16]

Throughout training camp, he competed against Robert McClain, Josh Wilson, and Javier Arenas for the job as the starting nickelback.[17] Throughout the preseason, he saw minimal playing time on defense. On August 28, 2014, Allen recorded four solo tackles and deflected his second pass of the preseason during a 24–14 victory at the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Falcons' fourth preseason game. On August 30, 2014, Allen was released by the Falcons as part of their final roster cuts.[18] On September 2, 2014, the Falcons signed him to the practice squad and retained five cornerbacks on the active roster, including Desmond Trufant, Robert Alford, Wilson, McClain, and Arenas.[19]

On December 16, 2014, the Falcons promoted Allen to the active roster after fellow defensive back Robert Alford was sent to injured reserve.[20] On December 29, 2014, the Falcons fired head coach Mike Smith after they finished third in the NFC South with a 6–10 record in 2014.[21] He was inactive for the Falcons last two regular season games and did not record a stat during his rookie season.[22]

2015

[edit]

Entering organized team activities, the new Falcons' coaching staff opted to move Allen from cornerback to safety. The change was due to the Falcons failing to secure a new free safety to replace Dwight Lowery and to give Allen a better opportunity to make the active roster. He competed for the job as the starting free safety against Charles Godfrey and Kemal Ishmael.[23] Head coach Dan Quinn named Allen the starting free safety to begin the regular season, alongside strong safety William Moore.[24]

He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Falcons' season-opener against the Philadelphia Eagles and recorded a seven combined tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first career interception off a pass by Sam Bradford during their 26–24 win.[25] In Week 3, Allen recorded seven solo tackles before leaving the Falcons' 39–28 victory against the Dallas Cowboys in the third quarter after sustaining a knee injury. He was inactive for their Week 4 victory against the Washington Redskins due to a sprained MCL.[26] On November 1, 2015, Allen recorded six combined tackles and made his first career sack on quarterback Jameis Winston during the Falcons' 23–20 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[27] In Week 13, he collected a season-high eight solo tackles during a 23–19 loss at the Buccaneers. He finished the 2015 season with 68 combined tackles (59 solo), four pass deflections, three interceptions, and a sack in 15 games and 14 starts.[28]

2016

[edit]

On March 7, 2016, the Falcons placed a one-year, $525,000 exclusive rights tender on Allen to secure him for the upcoming season.[29][30]

Allen entered training camp slated as the starting free safety, but saw minor competition from Robenson Therezie for the role.[31] Defensive coordinator Richard Smith named Allen the starting strong safety to begin the regular season, alongside strong safety Kemal Ishmael.[32]

On October 23, 2016, Allen recorded a season-high eight combined tackles during a 33–30 loss to the San Diego Chargers. In Week 13, he tied his season-high of eight combined tackles in the Falcons' 29–28 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The following week, Allen made six combined tackles, broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass by quarterback Jared Goff during a 42–14 victory at the Los Angeles Rams.[33] He finished the season with a career-high 90 combined tackles (61 solo), three pass deflections, and two interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts.[34]

The Falcons finished the 2016 season first in the NFC South with an 11–5 record, clinching a first round bye and home field advantage through the playoffs. On January 14, 2017, Allen started in his first career playoff game and assisted on two tackles, deflected a pass, and returned an interception by Russell Wilson for 45-yards during the Falcons' 36–20 NFC Divisional Round victory against the Seattle Seahawks. The following week, Allen collected five combined tackles, broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass by quarterback Aaron Rodgers in their 44–21 victory against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship.[35] On February 5, 2017, Allen made seven combined tackles in the Falcons' 34–28 overtime loss in Super Bowl LI to the New England Patriots.[36] The Falcons' defense allowed 19 points in the fourth quarter and defensive coordinator Richard Smith was fired after the defense' collapse in the Super Bowl.

2017

[edit]

On March 7, 2017, the Falcons signed Allen to a one-year, $615,000 contract.[29] Allen entered camp slated as the de facto starting free safety.[37] Defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel officially named him the starter, alongside strong safety Keanu Neal, to begin the regular season.[38]

On September 25, 2017, Allen recorded three combined tackles before leaving the Falcons' 30–26 victory at the Detroit Lions in the third quarter after suffering a concussion. He remained in concussion protocol and was inactive for their Week 4 loss to the Buffalo Bills.[39] On December 3, 2017, Allen recorded a career-high ten combined tackles during a 14–9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. In Week 17, he assisted on two tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted a pass by Cam Newton in the Falcons' 22–10 victory against the Carolina Panthers.[40] He finished the 2017 season with 54 combined tackles (28 solo), two pass deflections, and an interception in 15 games and 15 starts.[41]

The Falcons earned a wildcard berth after finishing third in the NFC South with a 10–6 record. They went on to defeat the Rams 26–13 in the NFC Wildcard Game. On February 13, 2018, Allen recorded four solo tackles in the Falcons' 15–10 loss to the eventual Super Bowl LII Champions, the Eagles in the NFC Divisional Round.[40]

2018

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On March 12, 2018, the Falcons placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Allen. The tender was a one-year, $2.91 million deal that kept Allen under contract for the 2018 season.[42][29] On August 6, 2018, Allen signed a three-year, $19.5 million contract extension with the Falcons, keeping him under contract through the 2021 season.[43] In Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints, Allen suffered a torn Achilles tendon and was ruled out the rest of the season.[44]

2019

[edit]
Allen meeting Defense Secretary Mark Esper before a game against the Buccaneers in 2019

In week 11 against the Panthers, Allen recorded his first interception of the season off Kyle Allen in the 29–3 win.[45] In week 17 against the Buccaneers, Allen intercepted a pass thrown by Jameis Winston and returned it for 27 yards during the 28–22 overtime win.[46]

2020

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In Week 9 against the Denver Broncos, Allen recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by Drew Lock during the 34–27 win.[47] In Week 17, in Allen's last game as a Falcon, he recorded a pick off of Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady in a loss.

The Falcons released Allen on February 18, 2021 after seven seasons.[48]

Cincinnati Bengals

[edit]

Allen signed a one-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals on March 29, 2021.[49] He was named the backup safety to Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell to start the season. He suffered a hand injury in Week 1 and was placed on injured reserve on September 15, 2021.[50] He was activated on October 9.[51] Allen took the majority of his snaps on the Bengals playing special teams. In his lone season with the Bengals, Allen made his second Super Bowl appearance when the Bengals played the Rams in Super Bowl LVI.

A week after playing in the Super Bowl, Allen announced his retirement after eight seasons in the NFL.[52]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2015 ATL 15 14 69 60 9 1.0 0 3 13 0 13 5 0 1 0 0
2016 ATL 16 16 90 61 29 0.0 0 2 3 0 3 3 0 0 0 0
2017 ATL 15 15 54 38 16 0.0 1 1 4 0 4 2 0 0 0 0
2018 ATL 3 3 17 14 3 0.0 0 1 28 0 28 3 0 0 0 0
2019 ATL 16 16 85 54 31 0.0 4 2 29 0 27 8 0 0 0 0
2020 ATL 12 12 25 18 7 0.0 1 2 29 0 19 5 0 0 0 0
2021 CIN 14 1 15 11 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
91 77 355 256 99 1.0 6 11 106 0 28 26 0 1 0 0

Playoffs

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2016 ATL 3 3 14 6 8 0.0 0 2 45 0 45 2 0 0 0 0
2017 ATL 2 2 5 5 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2021 CIN 4 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 5 20 12 8 0.0 0 2 45 0 45 2 1 0 0 0

Coaching career

[edit]

On March 3, 2022, Allen joined Mike McDaniel's inaugural Miami Dolphins staff as a special teams assistant.[53][54]

On March 10, 2023, it was announced that Allen would be an offensive assistant for the Dolphins.[55] After the 2023 season, the Dolphins chose not to renew Allen's contract.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Buddy Collings (November 4, 2009). "Mainland trio CB Ricardo Allen, WR Chevin Davis, WR O.J. Ross commit to Purdue". www.orlandosentinel.com. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  2. ^ "Ricardo Allen". www.rivals.com. Yahoo!. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  3. ^ "Ricardo Allen 2010 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  4. ^ "Ricardo Allen 2011 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  5. ^ Daniel Thompson (October 1, 2012). "Allen's record-breaking interception broken down". www.purdueexponent.com. Purdue Exponent. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  6. ^ "Ricardo Allen 2012 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  7. ^ "2012 All-Big Ten Conference Football Teams". www.btn.com. Big Ten Network. November 26, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  8. ^ "Ricardo Allen 2013 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  9. ^ "Ricardo Allen". www.sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  10. ^ "Ricardo Allen Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  11. ^ "Ricardo Allen, Purdue, CB, 2014 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  12. ^ "Ricardo Allen 2014 NFL Draft Profile". ESPN. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  13. ^ "2014 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  14. ^ Falcons Select Ricardo Allen With 147th Pick
  15. ^ Atlanta Falcons sign Mainland product Ricardo Allen to four-year contract
  16. ^ "Breaking down rookie contracts for Atlanta Falcons". ESPN.com. June 3, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  17. ^ Cunningham, Michael (July 24, 2014). "Four Falcons competing for nickel cornerback job". ajc.com. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  18. ^ "Atlanta Falcons 53 man roster, After the cuts Edition". yahoo.com. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  19. ^ "Falcons finalize Practice Squad roster". axs.com. September 2, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  20. ^ Adams, Jay. "Falcons Move CB Allen to Active Roster". Atlanta Falcons. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  21. ^ "Atlanta Falcons fire head coach Mike Smith after seven seasons". si.com. December 29, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  22. ^ "NFL Player stats: Ricardo Allen (2014)". NFL.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  23. ^ McClure, Vaughan (June 20, 2015). "Falcons starting to believe in unheralded Ricardo Allen at free safety". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  24. ^ Thomas, Jeanna (September 9, 2015). "Falcons Roster 2015: 53-man and practice squad finalized". thefalcoholic.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  25. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons - September 14th, 2015". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  26. ^ Thomas, Jeanna (October 2, 2014). "Ricardo Allen injury: Falcons' starting free safety has sprained MCL". thefalconholic.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  27. ^ "NFL Game Center: Week 8-2015: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons". NFL.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  28. ^ "Ricardo Allen 2015 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  29. ^ a b c "Spotrac.com: Ricardo Allen contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  30. ^ Choate, Dave (March 7, 2016). "Ricardo Allen receives tender from Falcons, Nate Stupar does not". thefalcoholic.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  31. ^ Choate, Dave (July 8, 2016). "Is Robenson Therezie really competing with Ricardo Allen for a starting job?". thefalcoholic.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  32. ^ Ledbetter, Orlando (July 22, 2016). "Cover 9@9: Falcons' projected training camp depth chart". AJC.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  33. ^ "NFL Player stats: Ricardo Allen (2016)". NFL.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  34. ^ "Ricardo Allen 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  35. ^ "NFL Game Center: Week 20-2017: Seattle Seahawks @ Atlanta Falcons". NFL.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  36. ^ "Super Bowl LI - New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons - February 5th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  37. ^ Choate, Dave (February 17, 2017). "The Ricardo Allen Question". thefalcoholic.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  38. ^ "Ourlads.com: Atlanta Falcons Depth Chart". ourlads.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  39. ^ Weaver, Tim (October 9, 2017). "Falcons injury updates: Ryan Schraeder, Ricardo Allen clear concussion protocol". thefalconswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  40. ^ a b "NFL Player stats: Ricardo Allen (2017)". NFL.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  41. ^ "NFL Player stats: Ricardo Allen (career)". NFL.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  42. ^ Alper, Josh (March 12, 2018). "Ricardo Allen gets second-round tender from Falcons". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
  43. ^ Sessler, Marc (August 6, 2018). "Falcons, Ricardo Allen strike 3-year, $19.5M extension". NFL.com.
  44. ^ McFadden, Will (September 24, 2018). "Falcons' Ricardo Allen suffers torn Achilles, will miss remainder of the season". AtlantaFalcons.com.
  45. ^ "Falcons defense overwhelms Allen, Panthers 29-3". ESPN. November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  46. ^ "Jones' INT return in OT lifts Falcons over Bucs 28-22". ESPN. Associated Press. December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  47. ^ "Denver Broncos at Atlanta Falcons - November 8th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  48. ^ Conway, Kelsey (February 18, 2021). "Falcons release Ricardo Allen, Allen Bailey and waive Kurt Benkert". Atlanta Falcons Official Website. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  49. ^ "Bengals Sign Safety Ricardo Allen". Bengals.com. March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  50. ^ "Bengals Make Roster Moves Ahead Of Week 2 At Chicago". Bengals.com. September 15, 2021.
  51. ^ "Allen To Active Roster, Su'a-Filo To Reserve/Injured". Bengals.com. October 9, 2021.
  52. ^ Rapien, James (February 21, 2022). "Ricardo Allen is Retiring From the NFL After Eight Seasons". SI.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  53. ^ "The Dolphins have hired Ricardo Allen as a special teams assistant". Twitter.com.
  54. ^ "Ricardo Allen landed a coaching job with the Dolphins". Reddit.com.
  55. ^ "Miami Dolphins Announce 2023 Coaching Staff". MiamiDolphins.com. March 10, 2023.
[edit]
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