The New England Patriots were quick to fill the behemoth-sized hole left by Danny Shelton in free agency. Just hours after Shelton signed with the Lions on a two-year deal, New England turned around and spent similar money on Beau Allen.
Allen, 28, was a seventh-round selection in the 2014 draft by the Eagles. He spent four years in Philadelphia as a depth and rotational piece on a defensive line that was loaded with talent.
The defensive tackle signed with Tampa Bay in 2018. He had eight starts in his first season with Tampa but still had his lowest snap total since 2015. Last year, with a new defensive coordinator, a new scheme, and some injuries Allen played only 16% of the snaps, the lowest total of his career.
Allen’s deal with New England will give him the opportunity to fight for a much larger role in Bill Belichick’s defense. The Patriots gave him a pretty lucrative deal for a rotational defensive tackle. Allen got a two-year, $7 million contract, $2.75 million of which is guaranteed. He has the opportunity to make much more if he’s consistently seeing the field.
The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin did a great job breaking it all down.
New Patriots DT Beau Allen got a 2 year, $7m deal with $500k in play time incentives each year.
Signing bonus: $1.7m
Base salaries: $1.3m ($800k guaranteed), $2.2m ($250k guaranteed).
Roster bonus of $900k each year ($56,250 per game active).
Cap numbers of $2.88m and $3.95m
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) March 24, 2020
Chances he makes the roster: 60%
That number seems high for someone who hasn’t accomplished a whole lot in their career, however, it’s more about the money and the roster. $2.75 million in guaranteed money would be a lot to just throw down the drain, especially for a team that is in dire need of cap relief.
On top of that, the interior defensive line meeting room may have a lot of bodies, but they don’t have a lot of reps among them. Lawrence Guy and Adam Butler are clearly the starters, but beyond them, the names Byron Cowart and Bill Murray don’t get fans too excited.
What it means for Allen
Allen will likely be competing for the depth role with Cowart and Murray. He brings the experience, but the potential of the other two could be enough to keep them around.
He’ll need to show something to the coaches during training camp to solidify his spot on the roster. Right now, however, Allen still has a slight edge over both his competitors.
In the long-term, Allen likely won’t ascend to the starting role. Belichick has been looking for his next Vince Wilfork in the center of the defensive line through the draft for years now. Whether it was an early pick like Dominique Easley or Malcom Brown, or it was a mid-round pick like Vincent Valentine or Byron Cowart, Belichick wants to find his next anchor of the future.
Allen may stay around as a depth piece, but he doesn’t seem to be more than that.
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