Both of the Indianapolis Colts top two tight ends on their roster, Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener, are impending free agents this offseason, and since it’s unlikely both will be back, which one should recently-extended GM Ryan Grigson prioritize?
As a whole, the Indianapolis Colts offense struggled to conservatism with Matt Hasselbeck forced to start in place of a severely injured Andrew Luck, and T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, Jack Mewhort, and Frank Gore were the only true bright spots on offense that received nothing from its surrounding players.
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Both tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen were disappointments this past season, and the latter’s stat line looks particularly appalling. Allen caught just 16 passes for 109 yards and even struggled as a blocker, meaning that he was essentially a worse version of New Orleans Saints journeyman tight end Michael Hoomanawanui for this team.
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The worst healthy season of his career, Allen’s 2015 campaign was a far cry from the promise he showed as a rookie in 2012. That year, Allen looked like one of the most well-rounded tight ends in the NFL, as he caught 45 passes in limited playing time, did much more than his more mainstream teammate Fleener after the catch, and made a huge impact as a blocker.
After being tabbed as a breakout player for the 2013 season, Allen suffered a season-ending hip injury and has never come close to achieving the heights of his rookie year since.
When Luck and Allen were both healthy in the 2014 season, the former Clemson star did have a good season with eight receiving touchdowns, good blocking, and a solid 13.6 yards per reception average. However, Luck’s former Stanford teammate, Fleener, outplayed him. Though Allen was the superior blocker, Fleener finished the year with 51 receptions (compared to Allen’s 29), matched his TE partner’s eight TDs, and averaged a robust 15.2 yards per reception.
Fast forward to the conclusion of the 2015 season, and it seems like Fleener has the better chance at staying of the two tight ends. Like Allen, Fleener averaged under ten yards per reception for the first time in his career, thanks to Hasselbeck’s glaring physical limitations, but he did manage three touchdowns with a career-high 54 receptions. He also looked somewhat improved as a blocker, which used to be the one huge advantage Allen could put over Fleener.
First, let me get this out of the way. Although I was fully on board the “breakout hype” bandwagon that was associated with Allen after his rookie season, it’s clear that this ship has sailed at this point. Maybe Allen blows up as a 26-year-old TE in his fifth season, but it’s more likely that his ceiling is as a “good-but-not-great” TE.
Allen has been unsurprisingly frustrated with his lack of usage, which is why I don’t completely buy the fact that he’s ready to re-sign, but the fact of the matter is that he hasn’t been some criminally underrated player stuck behind Fleener.
The previous Allen hype subsequently caused #Allentruthers (again, I was once 100% a part of this group) to denounce all things Fleener-related, especially since mainstream NFL observers unnecessarily inflated his value. Yes, Fleener is capable of stretching the seam and has a great connection with Luck, but he has below-average hands, doesn’t make any plays with the ball in his hands, and isn’t good enough to do what Allen does as a blocker.
Both Allen and Fleener are decent but flawed tight ends, and, over time, more and more fans have come to realize that it is unlikely either player will become a star in this league. For the Colts, it’s all about determining which style of TE they would rather have.
Do they want the in-line TE who can make plays in both facets, or do they want a pass-catching TE who has a great rapport with their QB? Given the struggles of the offensive line and the fact that the Colts are loaded at the WR position, it seems like Allen has to be the pick, right?
But it’s not that easy. Not only has Fleener simply been the better player over the past two seasons, particularly in 2015, but he’s also far less prone to injury.
Allen has missed 21 games in the past three seasons after appearing in all 16 games as a rookie in 2012, whereas Fleener hasn’t missed a game in the past three seasons after missing four games as a rookie.
Although the Colts probably wouldn’t have to pay either player much money, they aren’t in a position to pay both. As such, the Colts are probably better off re-signing the player who spends less time on the sidelines due to injury, simply because they can squeeze more bang out of their buck that way.
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Moreoever, the Colts have No. 3 TE Jack Doyle set to return as a restricted free agent, and Doyle is a better blocker than both Allen and Fleener. That makes Allen’s in-line blocking ability less of a priority, and it makes me believe that the Colts should prefer Fleener over Allen.
While I still maintain that Allen is the better player, it’s these final two factors that make me lean towards Fleener as the safer player to pay, though it is an argument that I find myself flip-flopping on more often than I would like.