Beau Allen Injury: Eagles defensive lineman reportedly out until September

Well, here’s some bad news. Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Beau Allen suffered a chest/pectoral injury while working out on Thursday, according to a report from the Inquirer’s Zach Berman. Allen will likely have surgery. Les Bowen notes the injury is likely to keep Allen out of action until September.

The 25-year-old Allen isn’t a starter for the Eagles but still he’s a significant role-player. In 2016, he played a career-high 40% of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps.

Allen’s role in 2017 was expected to be expanded with Bennie Logan gone, though the addition of Tim Jernigan changed that thought. Jernigan is now favored to start alongside next to Pro Bowl defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. (Note that Allen’s injury occurred after Jernigan was acquired.)

With Allen expected to miss at least the entire offseason, the Eagles’ depth at defensive tackle has taken a hit. Now there’s more pressure on depth players such as Destiny Vaeao, Aziz Shittu, and Justin Hamilton to step up. The Eagles might also look to add another defensive tackle via free agency and/or the 2017 NFL Draft.