New England Patriots: Martellus Bennett Ranked as Top 50 Free Agent
By Nick Ziegler
Pro Football Focus recently released their list of the top 50 free agents this offseason. Where did New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett rank?
One of the best offseason moves for the New England Patriots was the trade that brought Martellus Bennett to New England. Bennett has been a solid tight end in the NFL, and he produced nicely for the Patriots.
When the Patriots acquired Bennett, the thought was that he would make a great duo with Rob Gronkowski. Unfortunately for the Patriots, Gronkowski missed most of the season, and we weren’t able to see the two utilized together often.
However, having Bennett as insurance for Gronkowski turned out to be very valuable. In 2016, Bennett totaled 55 receptions, 701 receiving yards, and seven receiving touchdowns. It was certainly a great season for Bennett, and it was very impressive that he played most of it with a cracked bone in his ankle.
This offseason, Bennett will be an unrestricted free agent. Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus recently ranked Bennett as the 28th best free agent this offseason. Here’s what Monson had to say about Bennett.
"We saw early in the season the kind of potential that Martellus Bennett has when he was ably filling in for Rob Gronkowski, and he deserves significant credit for gutting it out over the season and playing through injuries for the Patriots. That said, it did clearly affect his play. Bennett is one of the league’s most talented TEs, capable of excellent work as a receiver and blocker, but has rarely put it all together for extended stretches of play, and will be 30 by the time the new season rolls around."
It was certainly a good season for Bennett in New England, however, it might be his only one. Due to the great season, Bennett is one of the best tight ends that will be available this offseason.
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For the Patriots, they would obviously love to have Bennett return. However, he might get an offer as a free agent that will be too steep for the Patriots to come close to matching.