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Third-year tight end Dwayne Allen was sorely missed during 2013. After playing in only one game - the Week One victory over the Raiders - Allen had to deal with an aggravated hip injury. He was placed on I.R. prior to Week Two against the Dolphins, and missed the rest of the season. Allen had caught 45 balls for 521 yards and 3 TDs in 2012, and he was poised to have a breakout year in Pep Hamilton's TE-focused offense.
On Wednesday, Allen spoke on an Indianapolis radio show, and he declared that he is 100% and will be ready for the start of OTAs in May.
"I’m great. I’m actually back to 100 percent."
Allen also feels that the acquisitions of free agent defensive end Arthur Jones and wide receiver Hakeem Nicks means that the Colts are no longer in a rebuilding phase as a franchise.
"That just goes to show how bad we want to win, how we want to win now," Allen says of the additions."We’re not afraid to invest in that. We are not afraid to go out and get guys that can help us hoist the Lombardi."
Allen himself could be viewed as an addition, considering that the Colts won 11 games (including a playoff game over the Chiefs) without him in 2013.