During training camp, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was testing rookie linebacker CJ Allen out as the green dot on defense.
However, due to injuries, Allen has not seen the field as much as Anarumo, or he, anticipated when he was the 53rd overall pick in the draft in April. In fact, Allen was one of two active players in Week 1 to not play
Leading up to Week 7 against the Minnesota Vikings, Allen was slated to get his first career start. He would take over at middle while Akeem Davis-Gaither, who has been the defensive play-caller since Week 2, would slide over and become the weak side.
An ankle injury in practice leading up to the Vikings game sidelined Allen, but the rookie out of Georgia worked like a dog to get back on the field and make his first start against the Jacksonville Jaguars, playing 45 defensive snaps.
"Nobody's working harder than him," Anarumo said. "He's a 21-year-old kid who's grinding in everything he does. He's rehabbing his injuries like nobody else, and he really goes about his business like a pro, which we knew in the draft process and is a big part of who he is."
While the 42-7 result of the game reflects poorly on the Colts on all three phases, Allen himself had a standout performance, leading the team in tackles with 10. He flew through an opening in the Jaguars' offensive line to take down the mobile Trevor Lawrence just over two seconds after the ball was snapped. He graded out at a 83.9 in run defense on PFF, which also led the team.
"I felt good," Allen said after the game. "I mean, anytime you get to play football, it's a blessing. You know, I gotta thank the Lord for that. Anytime you get to scrap it up, you know, you only get a certain amount guaranteed."
For his teammates, it wasn't just the numbers that popped. For his last two years in Kirby Smart's defense, Allen was a key voice alongside current Atlanta Falcons linebacker Jalon Walker. The experience he racked up as a leader in what many consider an NFL-like program transitioned seamlessly into Sunday's game.
"I kind of forgot he was a young player," defensive end Jaylahn Tuimoloau said. "He was just everywhere. I think for me, just what I saw from him, he was just very, very vocal. You know, he took on just being a leader for, especially someone in their first year. That was one thing that stood out to me."
In a locker room that just lost two leaders after the trades of defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and guard Quenton Nelson, young voices are important, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
"He was just always making sure the defense was together," Tuimoloau said. "Whoever he was with out there, he was always just being able to to feed off them and also be an extra leader on that defense and that's one thing that I saw that that stood out."
While Allen had an impressive debut, both he and Anarumo see plenty of areas in which he needs to improve.
"I think (it's) no different than anybody else," Anarumo said. "I mean, they all have to be assignment sound. He was, and you know things get a little bit moving fast at times for the young guys, especially inside when you know there's all kinds of jet motions and different run fits for them. But he did a good job handling that for the most part."
Allen hasn't necessarily "arrived." However, a nearly-quadrupled snap count from Week 6 shows Anarumo and his staff have belief that Allen can be a mainstay, impact player on defense the rest of the 2026 season and beyond.
