Kansas City Chiefs: 5 free agent targets for the defense

Beau Allen – Defensive Tackle – Philadelphia

While pass rush would top my list of defensive needs, some big bodied run stuffers aren’t far behind. Bennie Logan is a free agent and while I’d be fine with the Chiefs re-signing him, if his price tag is higher than what they would like, there are some cheaper options out there. One of them is Philadelphia’s Beau Allen.

A huge part of the Eagles success this season was the dominance of their defensive front. While Fletcher Cox was the standout in the middle of their defense Allen was a key rotational player for them, especially when it came to stopping the run. Allen is a big dude at 6-foot-2 and 330 pounds. His build is ideal for the nose tackle position because he’s stout without being too tall (which allows linemen to get under his pads and drive him).

While Allen is seen as a run stopper he has shown the ability to apply pressure up the middle as well. While he hasn’t racked up many sacks Pro Football Focus credited him with 21 pressures last season and that’s as a part time rotational player. I don’t know if Allen will ever be a pro bowl nose tackle but at only 26 years old he’s an ascending player with proven ability that will likely be significantly cheaper than re-signing Logan (or former Chief Dontari Poe).

Beau Allen is exactly the kind of player that I expect Brett Veach to target in free agency.

Finally, one more option inside in case Allen isn’t an option.