All signs point to the New England Patriots being in the market for a tight end this offseason.
The Patriots plan to release veteran tight end Dwayne Allen, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Saturday.
Allen was set to have a cap hit of $7.3 million in 2019 on the final year of his contract. The 29-year-old wasn't very involved last season, missing three games due to injury during the regular season and playing just 32.6 percent of New England's total offensive snaps.
With Allen out of the picture, the Patriots have just Rob Gronkowski (if he decides not to retire) and Jacob Hollister on their tight end depth chart.
That means head coach Bill Belichick and his team likely will look to add a tight end via trade, free agency or the NFL Draft, where there are several promising prospects.
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