Key pieces to the 2020 puzzle head to injured reserve for the year

Ashburn, Va. – In what was anticipated moves, the Washington Football Team have put their fourth round rookie left guard Saahdiq Charles and quarterback Kyle Allen on injured reserve. These moves officially end their 2020 seasons.

Saahdiq Charles

Charles dislocated his right knee cap on his second snap of his first career game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Saahdiq had just returned from a calf injury and replaced a flailing Wes Martin who continued to be graded as one of the worst guards by PFF. This ended up being Charles’ third injury of his rookie year including the thigh injury that popped up prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Saahdiq is expected to be ready for the 2021 offseason program and will be the leading candidate to return to the starting left guard position if they have solidified things at left tackle.

Charles started at LSU as a left tackle and came out with a first round talent grade. But off the field concerns dropped him to being projected as a mid-round draft pick. Washington was ultimately able to snag him with their first fourth round pick and has been anticipated as one of the steals of the 2020 draft if Charles could shake the red flags that popped up while in college.

Kyle Allen

Washington experience de ja vu again with Kyle Allen going down with a dislocated ankle against the New York Giants last week. It was the third time in 3 seasons that has happened to that position, but luckily not as severe as Alex Smith’s near death experience.

Allen was playing well enough to keep Washington in games, but something would always revert back to the expectations of who he is as a player. Kyle had surgery and there is no expected time table for his return to the field. Though with past similar injuries, we can speculate that he could be back on the active roster some time in 2021.

Allen came in Week 5 as the started after second year quarterback Dwayne Haskins was benched for regression in his preparation and mechanics. Kyle started 4 games going 1-3 with 610 passing yards and a 4:1 touchdown to interception ratio. His starts were mired in questionable scheme development and play calling that saw him attempting a majority of his passes inside 5 yards of the line of scrimmage.