Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen is one of the most talented players in the league at the position, and he showed off his pass-catching prowess and blocking ability as a very underrated rookie back in the 2012 season. It looked like Allen was headed for a breakout year, but he suffered a season-ending hip injury early on. So even though the Colts added two more weapons in Hakeem Nicks and Donte Moncrief (though the latter was always expected to be a “for the future” upside guy), it still seemed like Allen would be given enough opportunities to have a breakout season in the Colts explosive offense.
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Unfortunately, that hasn’t materialized, though it’s through no fault of Allen’s, as he’s been criminally underused this season. When asked if Allen still has a chance of playing a significant role in the passing attack, ESPN NFL Nation’s Mike Wells replied in his mailbag feature that “Allen will be fine”. Wells believes that we should expect his targets to increase this season, and he added that he’ll be more effective than Coby Fleener by the end of the year.
I think Fleener is a pretty mediocre tight end overall but is excellent as the TE2 behind Allen, who could blossom into an elite TE if given the chance. There’s honestly nowhere for his targets to go but up, since he’s been thrown at just six times through the first two games, though a long TD has him at four receptions for 64 yards and a TD. It’s time for the Colts to start using Allen more often, because he is an excellent two-way TE.