New England Patriots Acquire Dwayne Allen from Colts
By James Carson
Reports indicate that the New England Patriots have traded for Dwayne Allen, a tight end, from the Indianapolis Colts.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the New England Patriots have acquired tight end Dwayne Allen from the Indianapolis Colts, along with a sixth-round draft pick.
Field Yates, formerly on the Patriots staff and now of ESPN, has shared that sources believe the Colts will be receiving a late round pick in exchange for Allen, with Schefter reporting that the Colts will receive a fourth-round pick. The Colts resigned tight end Jack Doyle to a three-year, $19 million contract yesterday, which spelled the end for Allen’s tenure in Indianapolis.
Patriots traded a fourth-round pick to Colts for TE Dwayne Allen and a sixth-round pick, per league sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 8, 2017
Allen was called one of the best blocking tight ends in football by Bill Belichick after a game between the Patriots and Colts in 2014. He played five season with the Colts, accumulating 1451 yards and nineteen touchdowns.
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Allen received 52 targets last season and caught 35 passes, six of them for touchdowns (though three came in a single game against the Jets). He found his playing time limited by the emergence of Doyle as a reliable option for Andrew Luck, but still showed that he is a skilled tight end in every facet of the game when called upon.
Allen likely acts as insurance for the Patriots if Rob Gronkowski is not healthy at the beginning of next season, but also allows the Patriots to continue the two tight end sets they have found immense success with over the past few seasons. The acquisition of Allen makes it very likely that Martellus Bennett will not be returning to New England next season. Bennett served a similar role to what Allen will be a high quality fill in for Tom Brady to throw to who can be an elite blocker when targets are going elsewhere. Allen may not have the same charisma off the field that Bennett brought to Foxboro, but his abilities fit the Belichick model perfectly.
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Allen signed a four-year contract extension with the Colts before last season, leaving the Patriots with three years left and a $13.9 million price to pay. This is only the first of what is expected to be several offseason moves for the Patriots, as free agents can officially begin signing on Thursday.