Dolphins Claim Kaytron Allen After Commanders Release Rookie

The Miami Dolphins have claimed rookie running back Kaytron Allen off waivers from the Washington Commanders after Washington released the sixth-round draft pick while adjusting its roster for returning players. The move, announced by Miami on October 9, 2026, gives the Dolphins a running back who recorded 41 yards on 12 carries in four appearances for Washington this season.

According to the Dolphins, Allen entered the NFL as the 187th overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. The 23-year-old played college football at Penn State from 2022 through 2025 before joining Washington.

Allen finished his Penn State career with 4,180 rushing yards on 769 attempts and 39 rushing touchdowns across 54 games, including 24 starts. He also recorded 70 receptions for 490 yards and four touchdowns, earning second-team AFCA and third-team AP All-America honors in 2025. The university's all-time rushing leader ranked third in rushing touchdowns and fifth in all-purpose yards with 4,711.

Washington general manager Adam Peters discussed Allen's release during his weekly Friday interview with The Junkies on 106.7-FM The Fan. Peters said the decision reflected the team's immediate roster requirements rather than dissatisfaction with the rookie's performance.

"We're not down on Kaytron at all. We really like Kaytron. You never want to release a guy at any point in time, but certainly not someone you like and who has shown promise.

This may sound like GM speak, but every move you make, you're trying to everything you can for the best of the team and win the next game and have the best season possible. For this week and moving forward, we have a lot of moves to make in the next few days to get up and play this weekend, and so that was the case of that. ... With Kaytron, he has shown a lot of promise and done a nice job.

We expose him waivers, and if he doesn't get claimed, we'd like him back on the practice squad," said Adam Peters, Washington Commanders general manager.

Miami's successful waiver claim means Allen will not return to Washington's practice squad through the route Peters described. His addition also follows discussion among NFL observers about the value of his running ability and potential contribution to a team's backfield depth.

Peters also addressed the uncertain availability of wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs, neither of whom had practiced during the week at the time of the interview. Both players were pushing to return, but their status remained unresolved pending further evaluation after Friday's practice.

"With both of those guys, they're really pushing to play. They're big-time competitors. They'll play and they'll play hurt if they can.

Neither of them have practiced yet this week. We have (Friday), usually how it works is that, if a guy practices on a Friday, he has at least a chance to play. If not, there's less likely of a chance.

Both of those guys will push to practice and we'll reassess after the practice to see where they're at. It's touch and go for both of them. It's tough not to have those guys, but we've got a deep room, too," said Peters.

The Commanders were also preparing to increase Austin Ekeler's workload after his return to action. Peters praised the running back's performance during practice in London and said his contributions had strengthened the case for a larger role in the team's offense.

"We knew what type of worker and what type of pro he was and would come back and be strong from that. But that first day of practice in London, he was at a different speed. We were like, ‘we've got to get this guy in the game.

He made some big plays and we could see that juice. You talk about fresh legs, but he's fast anyway. He helped us a lot. ...He'll have more of an expanded role this week. ...

He's going to be more embedded in what we're doing," said Peters.

Safety Nick Cross remained another question for Washington, with medical clearance determining whether he could play. Peters said Cross had practiced throughout the week and wanted to return, but the team could not authorize his participation without approval from the doctor.

"Nick has been practicing all week and his injury has got to be a doctor's clearance. If he doesn't get cleared by the doctor, he won't be able to play. If he does, he'll be able to play.

He's another guy who is itching to play and he can help us a lot when he's out there. We'll have final clearance on that, and that's the deciding factor because he's out there and he wants to play," said Peters.