The New England Patriots have made their second relatively big trade in as many days by acquiring former Pro Bowl tight end Martellus Bennett from the Chicago Bears in a deal that includes a swap of mid-to-late round picks:
#Bears trading #Patriots Marty Bennett & 6th rd pick (204th overall) for 4th rd pick (127th overall). 204 came to CHI from NE for Jon Bostic
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) March 16, 2016
Despite putting up big numbers in three seasons with the Bears, Bennett fell out of favor in Chicago. An injury-plagued 2015 campaign that saw him miss five games resulted in 439 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
This came on the heels of Bennett leading NFL tight ends in receptions with 90 the previous season.
It’s a low-risk, high-reward move for a Patriots team that’s in need of as much help as it can get at the skill positions.
Bennett and fellow pass catcher Rob Gronkowski should be able to expose opposing defenses in two tight end sets. They are both among the best receiving players at this position.
For the Bears, it’s an addition by subtraction. Bennett was not going to be back with the team in 2016, so moving up 77 spots in the draft is a pretty solid gain here.