The 10-5 Washington Commanders host the 8-7 Atlanta Falcons at Northwest Stadium for Week 17 on Sunday Night Football. With a win over Atlanta, Washington will clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2020 and in Dan Quinn’s first year as head coach. The Commanders aren’t guaranteed the seventh seed but can secure as high as the sixth seed if they finish with a better record than the Green Bay Packers.
The Washington Commanders are getting reinforcements on the defensive line
The Commanders will soon activate Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen off injured reserve. After initially fearing that Allen had a torn pectoral muscle in Week 6, the team received good news a few weeks ago that he only suffered a partially torn pectoral instead. A return to the football seemed possible as they opened his practice window last Wednesday, and he will return to the lineup for Week 17.
Also Read: “Reinforcements Coming”: Washington Commanders Designated Pro Bowl Defender for Return for Week 16
Since they have the league-mandated maximum number of 53 players on their roster, the Commanders needed to make a roster move to activate Allen.
The Commanders suddenly parted ways with their former 2nd round pick
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Commanders have waived defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis to make room for Jonathan Allen on the 53-man roster. As Rapoport points out, Mathis is subject to the waiver wire, and teams in playoff contention could express interest in the former 2nd round pick. After he clears waivers, he will be an unrestricted free agent and is free to sign with any team.
The #Commanders are waiving DL Phidarian Mathis, sources say, putting the former second-rounder on waivers.
A potential add for a playoff team looking for depth up-front, Mathis could get claimed. pic.twitter.com/Sq0sLcM1x1
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 28, 2024
Things didn’t work out for the former Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman
Unfortunately, things couldn’t work out for Phidarian Mathis. Mathis battled two significant injuries in his first two seasons, which caused him to miss the last 16 games of his first season due to a torn meniscus and the first seven games of his second season because of a calf injury.
Mathis couldn’t carve out a consistent role on defense in his third season, only representing 27.31% of defensive snaps in the 12 games he has played in 2024. He has since fallen out of the rotation due to Jer’Zhan Newton getting more snaps with Jonathan Allen out and the emergence of Sheldon Day. As a result, Mathis has been inactive for the past three games.
Can the former 2nd round pick figure things out with a new team?
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