Allen in tight tussle for roster spot
FOXBORO — The NFL is not the place to go it alone.
That was the lesson veteran tight end Dwayne Allen learned last season, his first in New England. The Patriots acquired Allen from the Indianapolis Colts in a deal for draft picks as an insurance policy for injury-prone superstar Rob Gronkowski.
Allen was in on 42 percent of the plays in 2017, but finished the season with just 10 catches and one touchdown. He ap- peared in three postsea- son games without a catch, not the numbers the Pats expected from a player making just under $5 million.
Following a hectic training camp session yesterday at Gillette Sta- dium, Allen admitted he didn’t take advantage of the resources available to him from the organization.
“Taking care of the body, that’s the biggest thing, and I knew that in Year 2 in the offense I was going to understand it better and react to it better,” said the seventhyear pro out of Clemson.
“The toughest thing last year was making sure I was healthy so I could react to it the way that I should. It just wasn’t there last year, so this year I’m working very closely with our strength staff and our training staff and our nutritionists to make sure I’m in tip-top shape.
“I feel great, but the biggest challenge is staying that way.”
The 6-foot-3, 265-pounder is better positioned to match his expectations, and insists he has a better grasp of coordinator Josh McDaniels’ offense and quarterback Tom Brady’s delivery.
“What a difference a year can make,” said Allen. “I think coming into this year there are different expectations and understanding what is expected of me. How to come to work and how to take care of my body. I’m hoping for different results and so far, it’s happening.
“This year was about doing due diligence in the offseason. I have that understanding of what my body can do to go out there and compete.”
Allen lost a measure of confidence in the Pats system last summer and getting it back has been a process.
“It’s is a continuous progression and I’m confident,” said Allen. “You need confidence to go out there and with that confidence I can go out there and execute my job.
“With execution comes confidence and with confidence comes leadership, so to come out here and execute each day builds the confidence.”
Allen is in a tough fight to nail down a roster spot because of his $5 million cap hit. Jacob Hollister, a 6-4, 245-pound second-year pro out of Wyoming, has the wherewithal to be a quality backup for a smaller price tag. The Patriots also selected Florida State tight end Ryan Izzo in the seventh round of the 2018 draft, and have Will Tye, who spent time on the practice squad last season.
“We are all just trying to get better and not to be cliché at all that is how we honestly feel,” said Allen. “We try to come out each day and get a little bit better at something.”