OL Jeff Allen lands with Texans

Free agent offensive lineman Jeff Allen officially joined the Houston Texans on Thursday, along with quarterback Brock Osweiler, running back Lamar Miller and center Tony Bergstrom. Allen’s deal will pay him $28 million over four years, with $14 million of that coming in the first year, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.

Allen has been an on-again, off-again starter for the Kansas City Chiefs since he joined the league in 2012. He started 13 games as a rookie, and has never started a full season.

He was also a frequent target of ire for Chiefs fans in the early seasons of his career. His play has been sloppy at times, but Allen has improved as a player every season of his career. He played in just 12 games last season, starting eight of them, but Allen in 2015 was far and away a better player than Allen as a rookie.

With experience along the interior and starting at the right tackle spot, Allen has plenty of versatility for his new team. He’s still better as a guard and that’s where he’ll likely play going forward. He’s big, he’s strong and he’s a much better run blocker than a pass blocker. Even when Jamaal Charles went down with injury, the Chiefs still fielded a competent running game, and Allen was a huge part of that.

Allen was a second-round pick by the Chiefs in 2012. He joins a Texans team in need of offensive line help, a team that just invested an awful lot of money in signing Osweiler from the Denver Broncos. He should be able to replace Brandon Brooks at right guard, with Bergstrom lining up at center after Ben Jones signed with the Titans.