New England Patriots: Predicting 5 most surprising roster cuts of 2018

2. TE Dwayne Allen

Another player I’ve always been fond of, Dwayne Allen is one of those hard-nosed, get-it-done type of tight ends. There’s just this one thing that has always kept him from being a bigger name in the NFL: injuries.

It’s all too common a story in the league today. Talented player starts to flash his immense upside, makes a few plays, gets fans excited, and then blows out his knee. That’s pretty much what happened with Allen. He was on the road to being a quality No. 1 tight end for the Indianapolis Colts before a torn ACL brought it all crashing down.

Okay, well maybe “crashing down” is a bit dramatic.

In fact, Allen had some solid seasons after his injury-shortened 2013 campaign. The next year, he bounced back with eight touchdowns, albeit on only 29 receptions. His final year in Indy (2016) was also a solid one, with 406 receiving yards and six trips to the end zone. Still, he was never quite the same after that devastating knee injury.

Now, he’ll be battling with a bunch of unproven options at tight end for the No. 2 role behind Rob Gronkowski. While it seems like a promising situation, Troy Niklas is an underrated asset who could surprise and Jacob Hollister offers some young upside. Rookie Ryan Izzo could also factor into the equation.

The Patriots may approach Allen about taking a pay cut (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss). If he refuses or struggles during training camp, don’t be surprised to see him off the roster by September.