NFL Free Agency Rumors: Eagles expected to pursue Jeff Allen

The Philadelphia Eagles are expected to pursue impending free agent offensive lineman Jeff Allen, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. McLane reports Allen "is on the Eagles' radar" and also notes that the Kansas City Chiefs are likely to let him walk in NFL free agency.

Allen's connection to the Eagles is obvious; he obviously has familiarity with former Chiefs offensive coordinator and current Philadelphia head coach Doug Pederson. Allen is a player we've written about multiple times this offseason:

Remember how everyone used to link Oregon players to Chip Kelly? Well now #ChiefsBias is the new #DuckBias with Doug Pederson in charger. Kansas City's starting left guard is set to be a free agent and the Eagles need two new starting guards. Adding at least one through free agency would be wise and Allen is an obvious fit for Pederson's scheme. Allen ranked as the 19th best guard by Pro Football Focus in 2015. The 26-year-old lineman has started a few games at both left tackle and right tackle, so he also has some versatility.

Allen is an appealing option for a number of the reasons listed above. One concern with him is his injury history. He's only been healthy for 44 out of 64 possible regular season games over four seasons. This kind of weakness might drive his price tag down a little. Allen might not come cheap but he should be an affordable option at guard.

Philadelphia is very desperate for guard help. They arguably need two new starters on the interior offensive line. Finding at least one starter in free agency would be very ideal. The other spot could be a competition between internal options with a rookie (or two or three) from the 2016 NFL Draft in the mix as well.

The Eagles can start talking to Allen's agent as soon as Monday, March 7. Then unrestricted free agency begins on Wednesday, Mar. 9.