Patriots' Beau Allen: Starting year on IR

The Patriots placed Allen (undisclosed) on injured reserve Monday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Heading into his seventh NFL season, Allen was expected to have a decent workload on the Patriots' defense. While it's unclear what's keeping him out, Allen won't be eligible to return until Week 4. Adam Butler and Byron Cowart will handle the reps at nose tackle to start the year.