Jaguars' Josh Allen Makes Cameo In Madden NFL 21 Trailer
The official trailer for Madden NFL 21 was released by EA Sports on Tuesday, and Jacksonville Jaguars fans with a keen eye likely recognized one of the several NFL players featured in the promo video.
Around the 1:12 mark of the 1:30 long video, Jaguars second-year defensive end Josh Allen made a cameo as his game-generated player celebrated a sack dance. Allen was the only member of the Jaguars roster to be featured in the Madden trailer.
Following the recent departures of Calais Campbell, Jalen Ramsey, Nick Foles, A.J. Bouye, and potentially Yannick Ngakoue sometime down the road, Allen is the Jaguars' best bet to be a nationally recognized player who is the new face of the franchise, making it little surprise to see him featured in the trailer. It is also little surprise to see Allen be the only Jaguars player featured in the trailer considering the perception surrounding the team to many on the outside, though other players like DJ Chark and Leonard Fournette likely could have or should have been considered for a cameo.
Allen exploded onto the scene for Kentucky as he transformed himself into one of the SEC's most dominant defenders and he was able to quickly carry over this dominance to the NFL. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Allen had arguably the best rookie season in the franchise's 25-year history.
As a rookie, Allen appeared in all 16 games and recorded 44 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 23 quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles. Allen's 10.5 sacks not only led the Jaguars' defense in 2019, but it broke a franchise rookie record for sacks in a season and also gave him the most sacks of any rookie defender in the NFL last year.
Allen's rookie year was productive enough to earn him an invitation to the Pro Bowl as an alternate, making him the first rookie in Jaguars' history to ever make a Pro Bowl appearance. Allen has already established himself as a cornerstone of the franchise moving forward, proven by his performance as a rookie, Tuesday's trailer, and much more.
“Good football player. We knew that coming in. I think you’re only seeing the surface. I really do. I think that he has the ability to be one of those players that are going to be able to play at a high level for a long period of time," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said during Allen's rookie season. "I think that he’s handled himself really well. I think Calais Campbell’s been a big influence in that. I can’t speak for Josh [Allen]. That’s what I see. I think that was smart on Josh for him to find someone like Calais and do that stuff, and he’s playing well, but he has so much growth left. I mean he’s going to get so much better. He’s playing well for us, but we really have high expectations for him and what he can do.”
