Bruce Allen, president of the Washington Redskins, broke his public silence Sunday surrounding the firing of general manager Scot McCloughan.
Speaking in Phoenix at the Annual League Meeting, Allen noted that McCloughan, who was let go two weeks ago, now has an opportunity to latch on with a team before the draft.
"I thought it was the right thing to do for where we were at the time," Allen told The Washington Post. "We wanted to give clarity to our free agents and to our staff of where we were going. For Scot, it was good timing because it allows him to be hired by anyone right now before this draft."
Allen probably knows better than anyone that the chances of McCloughan joining a team just a month before the draft are unlikely. However, he tried to put a positive spin on the breakup amid reports of disagreement and chaos behind the scenes.
"I heard all the different things that were said afterward," Allen said. "Scot and I had a wonderful relationship. I do like him as a person. And I wanted him to do great. And it just didn't work out."
McCloughan leaves Washington having had one of the best first-year drafts as a general manager that we've seen in some time. Nailing Brandon Scherff, Preston Smith, Matt Jones (in year one) and Jamison Crowder in one draft formed the foundational core of a Redskins team that was finally trending upward.
Now, the pressure is on Allen to maintain the high bar set by the man he let go.
This has not been the best offseason for Washington. Not only is it scrambling to assess its long-term relationship with quarterback Kirk Cousins, but it lost two of its three best wide receivers and one of its best defensive players in free agency. A patchwork behind-the-scenes team could not get it done. Now, it's fair to wonder where exactly Washington's place in the NFC East is.
