The New England Patriots’ defense had some major issues against the run recently, with Sunday’s loss against the Buffalo Bills seeing the unit give up 193 yards and a touchdown on just 34 carries. Needless to say that the team needs to find a way to shore up its run defense, but we now know that help won’t come in the form of interior lineman Beau Allen: as Patriots head coach Bill Belichick confirmed on Monday, he will not return this season.
“No, Beau won’t play this year,” said Belichick during a media conference call. “He just won’t be ready.”
Allen originally arrived in New England in March, when he signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the club. Originally expected to help replace free agency departee Danny Shelton, the big-bodied defender missed the entire full-team portion of training camp for undisclosed reasons. He still made the team’s initial 53-man roster before being moved to injured reserve, though, which was an indication that the team thought he could return.
Return he eventually did: Allen was among a group of players returning to practice on October 21, opening a 21-day window in which he could either be activated or remaining on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. Belichick’s statement on Monday confirms that the he and the team will be forced to take the second route.
With Allen now out for the season, the Patriots’ defensive tackle depth will remain unchanged for the time being. With the trade deadline only a day away, the top-three at the position are currently Lawrence Guy, Adam Butler and Byron Cowart, with Nick Thurman and Carl Davis serving as depth behind them. New England also has undrafted rookie Bill Murray on its practice squad.
Guy and Butler are the best players among the bunch, but have had to deal with injuries lately. While Butler was dealing with a shoulder issue recently, Guy was listed on last week’s practice report due to an ankle ailment before leaving the game against Buffalo with a shoulder injury.