It was announced a couple of days ago that the New England Patriots were releasing tight end Dwayne Allen, and he's already somewhat of a hot commodity after the cut became official on Monday. The Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and Detroit Lions have all shown “preliminary interest” in Allen, a source told Josina Anderson of ESPN.
At least three of those teams have a pretty big need at tight end, so it makes a lot of sense. Allen spent the past two seasons in New England, where he served mostly as a blocker. Through his two years with the Patriots, he had just 113 yards, but he was a great blocker that Bill Belichick valued highly.
He also showed some promise as a receiver earlier in his career when he was with the Indianapolis Colts. With the franchise, he caught eight touchdowns in 2014, and six in 2016. He's still only 29, so it's possible he could recapture some of the red-zone magic he had with Indy. Even if he can't, he can be a valuable asset for a team looking for a blocking tight end.
The Dolphins drafted Mike Gesicki in the second round last year, but he's primarily a receiver and not much of a blocker, so Miami could be a good fit. It would also reunite him with new Dolphins coach Brian Flores, who was an assistant coach with New England during Allen's time with the Patriots.
The Bills recently cut Charles Clay and don't have much else at tight end, so they'd make sense as well. The Lions also have almost nothing at the position after they released Eric Ebron last year. It wasn't that long ago that Allen earned a four-year, $29.4 million extension from the Colts, and he could have some good years left in him.
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