The rich got richer Sunday afternoon as defensive tackle Beau Allen made his return to practice from a torn pectoral muscle he suffered back in April.
Allen's return should provide a familiar yet fresh set of hands to an already stacked Eagles defensive line. Last season, he saw 40 percent of the team's defensive snaps and will likely serve as a key backup behind Fletcher Cox and Tim Jernigan. The question in the balance now is whether he'll be able to get some game reps in Thursday's preseason finale against the Jets.
"I'm kind of a first things first kind of guy," Allen said. "So I like to practice first and then we'll kind of go from there and see how everything feels before that game on Thursday."
In his three seasons with the Eagles, Allen has played in all 48 games including five starts gathering 78 tackles, five for a loss, and one sack. Unaccustomed to missing time, Allen will have a little bit of catching up to do, but he appears to be ahead of schedule as far as his injury is concerned.
"There's not really like a strict guideline for these kinds of things," Allen said. "They happen and you deal with it kind of on a day-to-day basis and then you go from there. So I think I may be a little ahead of schedule but I don't really like to think of it in those terms."
The time missed during OTAs and Training Camp was a frustrating stretch for Allen. Fortunately, his knowledge of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's scheme will allow him to get back into the swing of things relatively quickly.
"I've been working with our strength staff a lot doing a lot of D-line stuff, a lot of cardio. As you guys can tell I'm in great shape," Allen said with a smile in regard to his 6-3, 327-pound frame. "I think I'll be ready to go."
Head coach Doug Pederson expressed his delight in adding the explosive fourth-year veteran back to the defensive line.
"I feel great now obviously with the addition of Beau. You know we activated him obviously and I'm excited to watch him practice the next few days," Pederson stated. "Again taking it slow with him. He hasn't done anything physical for a while and I want to take it slow with him, but I hope to get him some time Thursday night."
Regardless if Allen makes his return Thursday night or during the regular season, he will bring his dynamic skill set to arguably the team's most impressive position group.
"We've got a great D-line room. We have a lot of great rookies and a lot of great young talent," Allen said. "I'm really excited to be back with the boys and be a part of that group."
