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INDIANAPOLIS – Dwayne Allen isn't ignoring the elephant in the room.

Entering his fourth NFL season, Allen will begin 2015 playing in the final year of his rookie contract.

He knows this.

He also knows it's rather pointless to get caught up in worrying about a future that could fluctuate in a number of different paths over the next handful of months.

"A contract, I can't control that," Allen said on 1070 The Fan earlier this summer. "But I have confidence in my abilities to go out there and play the game of football.

"I believe that, when healthy, I'm the best at what I do. No matter who you name, I'm the best at what I do."

The "when healthy" part of Allen's statement has been what a large chunk of his 2015 offseason has consisted of, beginning with training in Arizona.

As the 2014 season transpired, Allen already knew where the focus for 2015 had to be.

Allen caught eight touchdowns last season but coming off double hip surgery in 2013, the versatile tight end was left wanting more.

"I have to transform my body," Allen said in the days following the AFC Championship loss to the Patriots.

"Not having last offseason to really train and work on things, I felt as the (2014) season went on, I was slower in and out of breaks, slower getting down the field and those are some things that I'm going to work on--my overall speed and conditioning, endurance, strength."

The re-tooling of sorts includes a slimmer Allen in 2015.

Allen felt he left Arizona this past spring with a few pounds too many compared to what he wants to be playing at this fall.

Now at 255 pounds (down from 268), Allen is weeks away from a season filled with unknown, and possibly untapped potential.

"You're working your tail off every day and that's when whoever it may be, your position coach, the (offensive coordinator), the head coach, gets to a place where they are like, 'We can rely on this guy. This guy is going to show up for us. We need to get him more touches. When he touches the ball, we win,'" Allen says.

"That's what I want to work towards. And enough talking. I'll show with my play."