Report: Patriots Trade for Colts TE Dwayne Allen

The Patriots made their first surprising move of the 2017 season before it officially began, trading with the Colts for tight end Dwayne Allen, reportedly for a late-round draft pick.

Details on the #Patriots trade for #Colts TE Dwayne Allen: A 4th rounder goes to the #Colts and #Pats get Allen & a 6th back.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2017

Allen signed a four-year contract extension last offseason worth $29 million, but had an up-and-down season grabbing 35 catches for 406 yards and six touchdowns. Allen played five years in Indy, never topping his rookie total of 45 catches.

Now it seems clear that Martellus Bennett is likely gone, as expected. Allen gives the Pats another option behind Rob Gronkowski and above Matt Lengel. We saw how vital it was to have a second tight end who could be depended on if Gronkowski went down, which he did. Bennett was a great all-around tight end who mitigated the damage of not having Gronk did.

Bill Belichick on Colts TE Dwayne Allen: “I’ve been impressed with his blocking. One of best blockers [at TE] we’ll see.”

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) November 10, 2014

He doesn’t have the kind of size Bennett had, but is a good blocker has potential to be effective as a pass catcher in multiple roles in the offense.

The Patriots owe Dwayne Allen $5 million in cash in 2017, $5M in 2018 and $7.4M in 2019. Really smart move by Belichick here.

— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) March 8, 2017

Of course, you just never know what will happen when you pair a guy who never quite reached his potential with Tom Brady. Sometimes they turn into Wes Welker, others they turn into Brandon Lloyd. I still think an early draft pick on a tight end makes sense.

Once again the Patriots make a move that no one saw coming. It’s just what they do, and why speculating what they will do is a waste of time.