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Well this is a surprise. We knew Martellus Bennett was drawing considerable interest as an unrestricted free agent as both Jacksonville and Oakland are reportedly talking contract with the Patriots tight end.

Apparently the interest was sufficient to convince New England to move forward as if Bennett will get offers they won't be willing to match. So they will.

According to multiple reports, the Patriots will acquire Colts tight end Dwayne Allen.

ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting New England will send a fourth-round pick to Colts in return for Allen and a sixth-round pick. The trade won't become official until 4:00 p.m. ET on Thursday. In theory, either side could back out on the deal before then.

But let's assume it goes through.

Allen had 35 catches for 406 yards last season, but health -- or lack of same -- has been a bit of an issue as he's only put in a full 16-game season once in his five years in Indy. Meanwhile, Jack Doyle developed into one of more dependable pass catching tight ends in the league, coming up with 59 receptions (second on the Colts) for 584 yards and five TDs in 2016. Now, with Allen gone, Doyle could rise above last year's status as a viable streaming TE and DFS prospect playing alongside Andrew Luck in Indy's offense.

Meanwhile, the Patriots continue to do what they can to provide an athletic second option to Rob Gronkowski, who underwent season-ending back surgery in December. Gronk recently said there was no doubt he'll be ready for the start of the 2017 season, but his health has to be of some concern as well and there have been questions about his long-term future with the Patriots.

As TheMMQB.com's Albert Breer pointed out shortly after Gronk was placed on IR in December, Patriots history is not kind to players who face a potential decline, even stars. They traded Deion Branch at 27. They dealt away Richard Seymour at 29, days before a season opener. They discarded Randy Moss in-season, with Tom Brady on his way to an MVP campaign. They said goodbye to Logan Mankins without any real answer at guard at the outset of a championship season.

It happened to Chandler Jones last March. It happened to Jamie Collins in October.

And it will eventually happen to Gronkowski. But it won't be this year.

The Patriots absolutely plan for him to be on the team in 2017 and beyond, but as NFL.com recently suggested, "It's clear Gronk's future just got very difficult and very complicated."

One major issue is the fact that New England have only had a fully healthy Gronkowski at the end of the season through the playoffs just one time since his rookie year in 2010.

All that said, Gronkowski is due a $4.25 million base salary in 2017. But things could get interesting in 2018, when Gronk's salary would jump to $8 million. And with Allen coming on board, it appears the Patriots are doing what they can to shore up their depth right now.

Of course, Gronk will be the primary weapon if healthy this fall with Allen serving as the TE2 -- a role that NFL.com's Chris Wesseling described as that of "in-line blocker, a chain-moving receiver and a red-zone threat."

That role alone merits the interest of fantasy owners in redraft leagues. But it's Dynasty players who should be taking keen interest in Allen as a speculative longer-term play.