Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Miami Dolphins after not hearing his name called through seven rounds of the 2017 NFL draft, former Saluki linebacker Chase Allen officially earned a spot on Miami’s 53-man roster Saturday.

Allen earned SIU’s Tony Bleyer Team MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Toughest Saluki awards in his senior year with the team, to go along with an honorable mention to the All-MFVC Team.

Marked as a ‘player to watch’ during the 2017 NFL Draft, Allen subsequently went undrafted. The Dolphins saw promise in him, and signed Allen to a free agent contract following the draft.

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The former Saluki shined in preseason camp and throughout the four preseason games Miami played prior to the start of the 2017 regular season — leading many analysts to predict that Allen may have earned himself a spot with the Dolphins.

All NFL teams had a deadline of 4 p.m. EST on Saturday afternoon to cut down rosters to the standard limit of 53 players that each team is allowed to hold entering the season next weekend. Allen, coming off his impressive preseason showing with the Dolphins, earned one of the coveted 53 slots on this coming weekend’s opening season roster.

A full piece on Allen’s journey from SIU to the NFL will feature in the coming week.

Sports writer Jacob Selsor can be reached at jselsor@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter @jacobselsor_DE 

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