2 min readHours before the Philadelphia Eagles faced off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Monday Night Football, the Birds called up track star and wide receiver Devon Allen from its practice squad.
Allen, a two-time Olympian and self-proclaimed “fastest guy” in the NFL, was cut from the team's 53-man roster last month but signed on as a practice player. In the Eagles-versus-Colts preseason game, Allen took the opening kick for a 73-yard return.
Monday night, Allen, who spent two seasons as a practice player for the Birds, was seen getting a feel for the field—quite literally—as he walked around barefoot. An injury to the team’s usual kick returner, Boston Scott, made Allen the next man up and he was called up from the practice squad for the game. He was in for 11 plays—all on special teams—and returned one kick, gaining 17 yards.
Allen, 28, is a world-class hurdler; he ran then 110-meter hurdles in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. He was controversially disqualified from the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Allen was a receiver for the University of Oregon in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
According to NBC Sports, Allen joins a short list of Olympic athletes who also played in the NFL, including Jim Thorpe, Bob Hayes (the only Olympian to also win a Super Bowl), Milt Campbell, Jim Hines, Tommie Smith, and Michael Bates. This season, according to NBC Sports, Allen became the second Olympian to play a regular season game, joining Cleveland Browns wide receiver and long jumper Marquise Goodwin.
Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World, the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a nine-time marathoner with a best of 3:23. She’s also proud of her 19:40 5K and 5:33 mile. Heather is an RRCA certified run coach.
