Free agent tight end Dwayne Allen‘s tour has continued to Buffalo, where the Bills are hosting him today, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com. If Allen leaves New York without a deal in hand, he’s expected to meet with the Lions.
Allen was released last Saturday by the Patriots, but a market has quickly developed for his services. The Ravens, already flush with tight end talent, met with Allen earlier this week, while the Dolphins have also been mentioned as a possible suitor in addition to Buffalo and Detroit. Both the Dolphins and Lions employ former Patriots coordinators — Brian Flores and Matt Patricia, respectively — as head coaches, while former New England staffer Brian Daboll is Buffalo’s offensive play-caller.
Allen, 29, was once a relatively prolific receiving tight end during his run with the Colts, topping 50 targets and 25 reception in three of his five Indianapolis campaigns. Since being traded to the Patriots prior to the 2017 season, however, Allen has essentially become a sixth offensive lineman. In his two years in New England, Allen has managed only 26 total targets, and 22 of those looks came during his debut season with the Patriots. In 2018, Allen played 438 offensive snaps, but ran a route on only 128 of those plays.
The Bills are devoid of established talent at the tight end position, having released their only experienced player at the position — Charles Clay — earlier this year. At present, Buffalo has only Jason Croom under contract, while fellow tight end Logan Thomas is a restricted free agent.
Looks like a promising candidate for the Lions. Playing behind Gronk is going to eliminate almost all of your reception opportunities. The Lions don’t have that problem and need an experienced TE.