New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has consistently gotten the most out of his players through his 16-years in New England. Somehow, Belichick and the Patriots don't look to be slowing down anytime soon as they have made some intelligent moves in free agency this offseason that should again make them one of the clear favorites in the AFC next season.
Already this offseason the Patriots signed former Bills wide receiver Chris Hogan to a three-year contract, and while he hasn't been the most explosive playmaker in Buffalo, look for the Patriots to take advantage of his athleticism and turn him into a legitimate weapon in their offense. New England's two biggest offensive weapons slipped by every team in the NFL, as the Patriots drafted the NFL's best tight end, Rob Gronkowski, in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft, and landed star slot receiver Julian Edelman in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
The Patriots added another playmaker to their offense Wednesday, as they acquired former second round draft pick, tight end Martellus Bennett, through a trade with the Chicago Bears. The Bears are reportedly receiving a fourth round pick for the tight end, while New England will receive a sixth round pick.
The Bears retained tight end Zach Miller on a two-year deal earlier this week, and after that move was made it was only a matter of time before Chicago's front office would find a trade partner for Bennett or some other avenue to jettison the mercurial veteran. The 6-foot-6, 273-pound tight end checks all the boxes teams look for in a viable starting tight end, and is looking to prove himself after a down season in which he caught just 53 passes for 439 yards and scored three touchdowns in 11 games.
This trade feels similar to when the Bears traded star wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets for a fifth round draft pick last offseason, and while Bennett may not be the same caliber of talent as Marshall, he could turn out to be a huge steal in this trade. While Bennett may not be a big fantasy producer in terms of catches and touchdowns in 2016, he will surely be a huge factor for their offense, as opposing defenses will now have to game-plan for two talented tight ends that can block in the run game and break open for passes down field.
The Patriots struggled to protect quarterback Tom Brady during the playoffs, and adding a guy with Bennett's size allows New England's offense to run more chip blocks with their tight ends, presumably providing more time in the pocket for their quarterback. Effort will be the biggest question with Bennett's arrival in New England, but with a chance to play on a contender year-in and year-out, expect Bennett to take it to another level in New England.
The numbers may not show up in the box score at the end of games, but look for Bennett to have a major impact in New England, as they now have two top-tier NFL tight ends.
