Nate Allen, Miami Dolphins Agree to Contract

The Miami Dolphins added some safety depth Friday when they signed veteran Nate Allen. 

Allen's signing was announced on the Dolphins' official Twitter account. 

Allen entered the league in 2010 when the Philadelphia Eagles used a second-round pick on him. He played five seasons in Philadelphia before joining the Oakland Raiders prior to the 2015 season.

He has 13 interceptions in his career, seven of which came in the 2010 and 2014 campaigns, but failed to replicate the productivity of his Eagles days with Oakland in part because he played just five games in 2015 thanks to injury problems:

Season	Team	Games	Total Tackles	Interceptions	Passes Defended
2010	Philadelphia Eagles	13	42	3	8
2011	Philadelphia Eagles	15	46	2	7
2012	Philadelphia Eagles	15	60	0	4
2013	Philadelphia Eagles	16	59	1	5
2014	Philadelphia Eagles	15	51	4	5
2015	Oakland Raiders	5	7	1	2
2016	Oakland Raiders	14	24	2	3

In fact, the Raiders initially signed Allen to a four-year deal but released him prior to the 2016 season before ultimately re-signing him to a one-year contract later that same offseason.

He was more effective from a statistical perspective during his second year in Oakland even though he was largely a backup to Reggie Nelson and Karl Joseph and primarily played special teams until Joseph suffered a late injury.

Pro Football Focus gave Allen a grade of just 68 in its "Free Agency Tracker," which was a mere 25th for free-agent safeties and far from the likes of Tony Jefferson (88.6) and Eric Berry (87.8).

Despite the lackluster grade, he is still just 29 years old and versatile enough to contribute on special teams or add depth to the defensive backfield. He has proven to be a productive safety in years past, as his time in Philadelphia indicates, and he can provide veteran leadership for his new team as it chases a postseason spot.

The Dolphins had to get better in the secondary. They did extend safety Reshad Jones on a five-year deal Thursday even though he only played six games last season due to a shoulder injury.

Matt Claassen of Pro Football Focus ranked Miami's secondary as the NFL's 20th-best unit last season, with cornerback Tony Lippett drawing heavy criticism for his performance down the stretch.

"Over the final six weeks of the Dolphins’ season, a span that included games against the Bills and Jets, Lippett allowed a passer rating of 119.3," Claassen wrote.

Allen is a stabilizing presence in the secondary and has shown a knack for finding the ball. As long as Jones is able to stay healthy, the Dolphins will have their enforcer and can use him to accentuate what the rest of the group does well.