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Is Commanders center Nick Allegretti ready for Week 1?
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- Is Commanders center Nick Allegretti ready for Week 1?
Washington Commanders center Nick Allegretti is a wanted man.
No, law enforcement isn't looking for Allegretti; however, he was one of the most talked-about men last week in Washington, D.C. Allegretti was the subject of numerous sports radio and podcast episodes. He returned to practice a week earlier, only to have his calf tighten up again, forcing him to miss all of last week.
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When Allegretti returned to practice this week, everyone wanted to know how he was doing and how the calf was healing. Showing up for practice with calf sleeves on both calves raised some questions for the media as well. When asked whether both calves were now limiting him, Allegretti quickly lowered the concern meter.
"Just the one (calf), but I like to keep the same. If I am going to have a sleeve on one calf, then I might as well have one on both, keep them warm," explained Allegretti. "I'm continuing to work on my routine, my prep. I felt good the last two days. I felt good the four or five days prior to getting out to practice. I'm just continuing to stack good days in front of each other. I got one more big one tomorrow, before a couple of days off, so looking forward to that."
Indeed, the 30-year-old entering his eighth NFL season has learned the importance of routine, discipline, and consistency.
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The three-time Super Bowl champ, as a Kansas City Chief, came to Washington and has mostly played guard over the last two seasons with the Commanders. When Tyler Biadasz was injured late last season, Allegretti took over at center the final two games, incidentally, against Dallas and Philadelphia (the Commanders open with those two teams in reverse order this season).
When the Raiders outbid GM Adam Peters for the top free agent center, Tyler Linderbaum, Peters and some coaches determined Allegretti could handle the job. When the draft arrived, Peters chose Matt Gulbin 209 overall (6th round) out of Michigan State. The plan was that three players, Allegretti, Gulbin, and Julian Good-Jones, would compete for the two spots on the roster. Sunday, Good-Jones was released and signed to the Commanders' practice squad.
So what is it like right now for Allegretti, knowing there is so much attention going to the center position group? "I understand that is part of the deal. Obviously when they moved on from Tyler (Biadasz) that was something the media was going to grab on to. But I appreciate the staff giving myself and Matt the trust. Matt's doing an incredible job. This is a good opportunity for him to be thrust in there, getting a ton of reps with Jayden (Daniels) at a young age, and he's been doing a hell of a job."
In summary, Allegretti was succinct, expressing, "I know that the center is probably talked about a lot, but I'm just trying to take care of myself, take care of Matt (Gulbin), and that will take care of it." Allegretti did start five games at center for the U of Illinois before settling in at guard.
Sounds like he is thinking long-term planning and what is best for the 2026 Commanders.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Is Commanders center Nick Allegretti ready for Week 1?
