Patriots 2020 player profile and outlook: DT Beau Allen

One of the newest faces on the New England Patriots in 2020, veteran defensive tackle Beau Allen will hope to fill the void left by Danny Shelton.

Beau Allen is tied to the New England Patriots in a number of interesting ways.

First off, he was on the Philadelphia Eagles team that vanquished the Pats in Super Bowl LII, one of the most thrilling NFL championship games in history (even if it ultimately ended in heartbreak for New England fans). In what was his final game as an Eagle, he recorded two tackles en route to earning his first (and to date only) Super Bowl ring.

Next, he signed a three-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay is another sore subject for New Englanders, as that’s the team that now calls Tom Brady their starting quarterback in 2020. While Allen was cut by the Bucs before Brady was signed by them, it’s still a curious coincidence that the two players are essentially swapping teams after last meeting in Super Bowl LII against one another.

And now, of course, Allen is an actual member of the Patriots, having signed a two-year deal worth up to a reported $8 million last March.

It’s a somewhat strange signing for New England because Allen is replacing the departed Danny Shelton, who signed a two-year deal worth $8 million with Matt Patricia’s Detroit Lions this past March too.

Since the deals are for the same length of time and equate to the same amount of money — and the two men play the same position — it must mean Bill Belichick prefers Allen to Shelton moving forward.

On the surface, such a preference wouldn’t make too much sense.

Allen is a full two years older than Shelton (a lifetime in the NFL). Allen was a seventh-round draft pick while Shelton was the No. 12 overall pick and went in the first round. Allen has 117 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery in 90 career regular seasons; Shelton has 210 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 75 career regular season games.

But, as the old saying goes: In Bill We Trust.

Best-case scenario projection for 2020

Allen plays so well that the above paragraph that compares his career accolades to Shelton’s ultimately becomes irrelevant and untrue.

If Allen can help us all forget about Shelton, he’ll have accomplished his primary mission this season and lived out his best-case scenario for 2020.

Never say never, but the Patriots probably aren’t going on a magical fairytale Super Bowl run — not this year, at least. Allen’s probably not getting another ring in 2020, and he doesn’t seem like he’s going to be able to muster a Pro Bowl nod anytime soon.

Shelton wasn’t even necessarily that great of a player during his Patriots career, but he came on from Super Bowl LIII on. The bar isn’t set that high — Allen just needs to make sure he reaches it.

Worst-case scenario projection for 2020

We all miss Danny Shelton in 2020.

Opposing running backs gallop wild through a porous New England defensive line. Lawrence Guy and Adam Butler are outmatched because they get no support from Allen. Everyone wonders what the heck Bill was thinking swapping Shelton for Allen.

Obviously, the hope is that none of that happens, but it’s definitely a possibility if things go off the tracks for Allen with his new team this year.