The New England Patriots released tight end Dwayne Allen this afternoon, making him an unrestricted free agent who may sign with a team as he pleases. The 29-year old veteran could be a possible target for the Miami Dolphins as they look to stock up their roster with modest veteran additions and young talent eager to prove themselves.
Why? Miami does have three tight ends under contract: Nick O’Leary, Durham Smythe and Mike Gesicki. Would bringing in Allen be redundant? Not necessarily. The Dolphins have two young guns in Smythe and Gesicki, neither of which is above learning the ropes from veterans who have been at it as professional tight ends.
And while Dwayne Allen is certainly a shell of his former self, the former Colt and Patriot has a few years of two-way production (as a blocker and a receiver) that could provide valuable knowledge to pass down to the younger crew.
Sure, O’Leary provides a certain degree of that, but his career accomplishments, usage and physical ability haven’t allowed him to reach a stratosphere similar to what a heathy Allen has been able to provide.
Provided the veteran tight end can come on a modest contract, it’s likely the Dolphins kick the tires on Allen. Their staff’s familiarity with him, plus the two tight end usage of these coaches in their past gigs, makes this quite a natural pairing.
Allen, who only played about one-third of the Patriots’ snaps last year, is a diminishing player. So it’s unlikely we’ll see a hot market for him in the coming weeks.
But his connections to Miami (and the relative inexperience of the Dolphins’ tight end room) make it a logical landing spot.
