With Pittsburgh Steelers rookie safety Shamarko Thomas now sidelined indefinitely with a left high ankle sprain suffered this past Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, the team will more than likely ask veteran safety Will Allen to fill his shoes when they use their quarters personnel moving forward.
Allen registered one tackle and two quarterback hurries in relief of Thomas this past Sunday and in total he played 32 snaps. It was his first action on defense this season since he was signed back to the roster in early October.
Allen, who spent the last three seasons with the Steelers, signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an unrestricted free agent during the offseason. His time in Dallas was short, however, as he was released after just five games, the first two of which he started at free safety.
When the Steelers signed Allen, most of the fan base groaned with displeasure, but being as he knows the defense and is a solid contributor on special teams, the move made sense. Now that Thomas is sidelined, the move makes even more sense.
Last season, Allen filled in admirably for safety Troy Polamalu when he was sidelined with his calf injury. In the seven games that he started, the Ohio State product allowed just four receptions in the ten times that he was targeted and didn’t give up a touchdown.
