Patriots add DT Beau Allen and WR Damiere Byrd in free agency
The New England Patriots added depth in free agency this week by signing defensive tackle Beau Allen and wide receiver Damiere Byrd.
On the same day that the New England Patriots lost veteran nose tackle Danny Shelton in NFL free agency to the Detroit Lions, the team replaced him with a free agent nose tackle of their own: Beau Allen.
Oddly enough, the two deals were practically identical. According to Bleacher Report’s Blake Schuster, Allen’s deal maxes out at around $8 million for two years, whereas Shelton’s deal with the Lions also equates to two years and $8 million.
It’s a curious situation if you’re a Pats fan. From a financial standpoint — since the two deals are the same — it looks at first glance as if Bill Belichick preferred bringing in Allen over retaining Shelton.
Shelton had come on this past season — really ever since a decent performance in Super Bowl 53 against the Los Angeles Rams, as a matter of fact. The idea that Belichick would let him walk and sign a brand new player with no familiarity in the system instead for the same amount of money is peculiar.
As Schuster notes, Allen has only started in 16 of his 90 NFL starts to this point. While Shelton isn’t necessarily a star by any means in his own right, he had at least carved out a starting role for himself on the Patriots’ defense last season, and his play was solid alongside Lawrence Guy — particularly when it came to stopping the run.
Allen comes to New England after a brief stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Before that, he played alongside fellow ex-Patriot Chris Long on the Philadelphia Eagles, and actually went up against New England’s offensive line in Super Bowl 52.
The Patriots also added speedy wideout Damiere Byrd in free agency from the Arizona Cardinals, per Bleacher Report’s Paul Kasabian.
Byrd projects as New England’s fourth or fifth wide receiver option in 2020, likely behind Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, N’Keal Harry, and Jakobi Meyers on the current depth chart. He’s played sparingly over his first four seasons in the NFL — three with the Carolina Panthers and one most recently with the Cards — logging action in just 11 games last season for Arizona.
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On the plus side, Byrd is known for his speed. Especially with Phillip Dorsett likely moving on in free agency, the addition of Byrd gives the Patriots another speed-guy who can help take some pressure off Edelman and Sanu on the underneath routes.