Allen announced his retirement from football Sunday, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.
Allen spent the first six seasons of his career in Atlanta before joining the Bengals on a one-year deal ahead of the 2021 campaign. The 30-year-old appeared in 91 games across his seven-year career and logged 355 tackles (256 solo), a sack, 11 interceptions, 26 pass defenses and a fumble recovery.
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Bengals' Ricardo Allen: Not on injury report
Rotowire
Allen (concussion) isn't on the injury report ahead of Saturday's wild-card matchup against the Raiders.
Allen sustained a concussion during Sunday's regular-season finale against the Browns and was held out of practice Tuesday. However, he returned in a limited capacity Wednesday before practicing fully Thursday. As a result, he'll be able to suit up for Saturday's postseason opener.
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Bengals' Ricardo Allen: Suffers concussion
Rotowire
Allen suffered a concussion and has been ruled out of the rest of Sunday's game against the Browns.
Allen made a big hit over the middle of the field and was immediately taken into the locker room. He's primarily played on special teams throughout the season but has seen a significant role on defense at various points in the season. He'll turn his focus to a potential return for the team's wild-card matchup.
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Bengals' Ricardo Allen: Cleared to resume practicing
Rotowire
The Bengals have designated Allen (hand) for a return from IR.
Allen is eligible to return to the active roster at any point during his 21-day practice window. He suffered a broken hand and hamstring strain during Cincinnati's win over Minnesota in Week 1.
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Bengals' Ricardo Allen: Lands on IR
Rotowire
The Bengals placed Allen (hand) on injured reserve Wednesday.
As expected, Allen heads to IR to open up a roster spot ahead of Week 2. The 29-year-old broke his hand and suffered a hamstring strain during Sunday's win over the Vikings and will be sidelined for at least three weeks.
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Bengals' Ricardo Allen: Lands in Cincinnati
Rotowire
Allen agreed Wednesday with the Bengals on a one-year contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Allen, who spent the last seven years in Atlanta, will bolster Cincinnati's safety depth in the short term. The 29-year-old has put forth quality fantasy seasons before -- he had 90 tackles in 2016 and 85 tackles in 2019 -- but he saw a sharp decline in production last year, finishing with just 25 tackles in 12 games.
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Falcons' Ricardo Allen: Secures INT of Brady in finale
Rotowire
Allen, who registered five tackles, one pass deflection and an interception during Sunday's 44-27 loss to the Buccaneers, closed out the 2020 season with 25 tackles, five pass deflections and two INTs in 12 games.
After missing 13 games in 2018 because of an Achilles tear, Allen proved capable of overcoming a late-season concussion to suit up for 12-plus contests in a second straight campaign. The veteran safety's two interceptions matched his total from a season ago, but an average of 2.1 tackles per game depleted his utility in IDP formats. He remained an integral defensive contributor by starting each time he was active this season, fielding an increased workload of 56.1 snaps per game after Damontae Kazee was placed on injured reserve Oct. 7 with a torn Achilles. The 29-year-old Allen remains under contract with Atlanta through 2021 at a cap hit of $8.4 million, as the organization prepares to welcome a new general manager.
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Falcons' Ricardo Allen: Ready for Sunday's contest
Rotowire
Allen (concussion) is active for Sunday's game versus the Chiefs, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.
Allen will return to the lineup after a two-week hiatus, and he's set to start at free safety. The 29-year-old doesn't have much fantasy value, however, as he's produced just 18 tackles, four pass breakups and an interception over 10 games this year.
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Falcons' Ricardo Allen: Records fourth-quarter INT in win
Rotowire
Allen collected one tackle, adding two pass deflections and an interception for a 19-yard return during Sunday's 34-27 win against Denver.
The Broncos offense had a chance to close Atlanta's lead to one possession when it took over from its own 15-yard line at the 9:36 mark of the fourth quarter, but Allen intercepted sophomore signal-caller Drew Lock on the very first play of the drive. With his lengthy return, Allen set up the Falcons to bolster the lead two plays later by virtue of a four-yard Todd Gurley TD romp. The impressive Week 9 performance provides Allen with his first takeaway of the 2020 campaign after he registered two interceptions in 16 games played a year ago.
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Falcons' Ricardo Allen: Able to log limited practice
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Allen (elbow) was limited in Wednesday's practice, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.
Allen and Keanu Neal (hamstring) were both able to practice on a limited basis, so both starting safeties are on the upswing health-wise after failing to practice at all last week and sitting out Atlanta's loss to the Packers on Monday. While getting back on the practice field at all is a step in the right direction, Allen will be hoping to raise his practice participation in the coming days to help assure his availability for Sunday's clash with Carolina.
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Falcons' Ricardo Allen: Unavailable for Week 4
Rotowire
Allen (elbow) has been ruled out for Monday's game versus the Packers, Jason Butt of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Allen will miss a second straight game after sitting out of practice all week. Starting safety Keanu Neal (hamstring) has also been ruled out, so expect Damontae Kazee and rookie Jaylinn Hawkins to assume starting roles while Sharrod Neasman rotates in.
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Falcons' Ricardo Allen: Sits out Wednesday's session
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Allen (elbow) did not participate during practice Wednesday, Kelsey Conway of the Falcons' official site reports.
The defensive captain was forced to exit during the second quarter of Sunday's loss to Dallas after playing 19 snaps, but coach Dan Quinn said Monday that he does not expect Allen to be on the shelf for an extended period. It is unclear whether Allen is anticipated to be in the lineup Week 3 against Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears, but a practice appearance Thursday or Friday may hint at his availability for a matchup against the NFL's 29th-ranked pass offense.
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Falcons' Ricardo Allen: Week 1 role reduced
Rotowire
Allen did not record a tackle while playing 40 percent of the defensive snaps during Sunday's 38-25 loss to the Seahawks.
The Falcons entered the regular season with a plan to frequently deploy the team's top three safeties in Allen, Keanu Neal, and Damontae Kazee, but Allen was the clear odd man out in the opener. Head coach Dan Quinn explained that Allen's reduced usage was because of the Seahawks' heavy utilization of two-tight end sets, as Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal played 100 percent and 82 percent of the defensive snaps, respectively. Week 2 brings a matchup against a Cowboys offense that just lost its top tight end, Blake Jarwin, to a torn ACL, potentially opening the door for a higher dose of three-receiver sets against Atlanta.
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Falcons' Ricardo Allen: Nursing minor injury
Rotowire
Allen is battling a minor ankle injury, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.
Allen will have over a week to get fully healthy ahead of Sept. 13's season opener against Seattle, so it wouldn't be surprising for the Falcons to take a cautious approach to his return to practice. The veteran safety is once again slated for a key role in Atlanta's secondary.
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Falcons' Ricardo Allen: Improving on injury front
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Coach Dan Quinn said that Allen (shoulder) is making progress in his recovery from January shoulder surgery, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Allen started all 16 games for the Falcons in 2019 after an injury-shortened 2018 campaign, and he put forth one of his best pro campaigns in the process. The 28-year-old defensive back obliterated his previous personal best in pass deflections by recording eight, and his 85 tackles were the second most he's ever registered since entering the league as a fifth-round draft choice in 2014. Now confirmed to be on a positive trajectory following his offseason procedure, Allen is expected to return as a key member of Atlanta's secondary in 2020, though he has been designated for a shift to nickelback, while Damontae Kazee will move back to safety full time.
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Falcons' Ricardo Allen: Undergoes shoulder surgery
Rotowire
Allen has undergone surgery to address a shoulder injury he played through during the end of the 2019 season, Jason Butt of The Athletic reports.
The details of Allen's injury remains undisclosed, but his recovery timetable is expected to span multiple months. To the 28-year-old's credit, he was able to log a full 16-game slate despite playing through shoulder pain down the stretch, and his presence was key in Atlanta's pass defense coming together despite losing Keanu Neal (Achilles) to another early season injury.
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Falcons' Ricardo Allen: Durable after injury-plagued 2018
Rotowire
Allen accounted for 84 tackles, eight pass deflections and two interceptions, while playing in all 16 of the Falcons' regular-season games.
After Keanu Neal went down with a devastating early-season injury for a second consecutive year, Allen's performance at safety became all-important for a depleted Falcons defense. The six-year veteran delivered, suiting up in 15-plus games for the fourth time in five years while setting a new personal best in passes defended, as well as the second-best mark of his career in tackles. Allen is a key reason for the Falcons' improvement from 28th to 22nd in pass defense between 2018 and 2019, as he heads into the second frame of his three-year, $19.5 million deal.
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Falcons' Ricardo Allen: Hobbled Thursday
Rotowire
Allen (shoulder/knee) put in a limited practice session Thursday, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Allen came into Week 16 with a shoulder problem but must have picked up a knee issue during the game. He's been limited in both practices this week and will likely look to tough it out Week 17 against the Buccaneers.
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Falcons' Ricardo Allen: Nursing shoulder issue
Rotowire
Allen (shoulder) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Allen dealt with knee and oblique injuries earlier in the month, and now he's bothered by a shoulder condition. The sixth-year safety should be able to play Sunday against the Falcons as long as he doesn't miss a practice, but Kemal Ishmael is in line to start if Allen can't go.
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Falcons' Ricardo Allen: Clear of knee injury
Rotowire
Allen (knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Rams.
Allen began the week as a limited practice participant but was able to put in a full session Friday to avoid the questionable tag. The 27-year-old has 35 tackles (22 solo) and one pass defensed through six games and has played every defensive snap over the last three weeks.
