Eagles sign WR, Olympic hurdler Devon Allen to three-year deal

The Philadelphia Eagles have taken a flier on an interesting prospect roughly three weeks before the upcoming NFL Draft gets underway on April 28. 

On Friday, the Eagles announced they've signed former Oregon Ducks wide receiver and Olympic hurdler Devon Allen to a three-year contract. ESPN's Tim McManus notes the length is standard for undrafted free agents. 

Allen, 27, hasn't played competitive football since 2016 and instead decided to focus on the 110-meter hurdles at that point in his life. He finished fifth in that event in the 2016 Summer Olympics and then posted a fourth-place finish in the 2020 Summer Games that were postponed to last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Allen suffered knee injuries while at Oregon in January 2015 and again in the fall of 2016. 

In total, Allen recorded 54 receptions for 919 yards and eight touchdowns across 29 games during his collegiate career. He took part in Oregon's pro day last Friday and ran an unofficial 4.35-second 40-yard dash. 

"It's now or never because I don't want to get too old," Allen told reporters following his pro day workout about pursuing a football career this spring. "I don't want to turn 30, 31, and then try and get into the NFL. I know the skill gap is still there from college to the NFL, but I think when I did play college and when I did play at a pretty good level, I would consider myself talented enough to play in the NFL."