Perhaps Aaron Rodgers was on to something when he campaigned for Jared Cook to remain a Packer.
We all know what happened next. Cook and general manager Ted Thompson couldn’t agree on a number and Cook ended up in Oakland.
But Thompson didn’t leave the cupboard bare. He went out and signed Martellus Bennett, who was coming off his second-best season of his career. He caught 75 percent of his targets from Tom Brady for 701 yards and seven touchdowns en route to his first Super Bowl ring.
But there’s one problem: through four games, Bennett looks nothing his 2016 self. He has lacked explosion, has appeared sluggish and has displayed butterfingers with four drops.
Bennett was brought to Green Bay because he’s a veteran that knows how to win and he is an excellent blocker. The blocking reason is interesting to me. How important is a blocking tight end on a pass-heavy team?
Through four games, Bennett is ranked 17th among all tight ends by averaging 35 yards a game. I really thought that Bennett would mimic Jermichal Finley’s dynamic ability and put the offense on another level. I was wrong. Bennett doesn’t look like Finley, he actually looks like Richard Rodgers.
Which begs the question, who exactly is Bennett? The 10-year pro has notched only four seasons with 55-plus receptions. Finley had three such seasons in just a six-year career.
The Packers need Bennett. Especially now with Davante Adams potentially missing time after a suffering a jarring reckless hit at the hands of Danny Trevathan. Bennett needs to eat up defenders and the middle of the field so that the edges are free for Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Adams and Geronimo Allison. (I would mention Jeff Janis, but I don’t expect him to see an offensive snap this year, barring a rash of injuries.)
I’ve always said that tight ends are the ultimate equalizer in this league. If you have an athletic, dynamic tight end, you have a distinct advantage and will see a mismatch on each and every play.
However, Bennett has turned into an albatross thus far. He is holding this offense back. And to prove it, Bennett really wanted to build a rapport with Rodgers in the summer. However, those two still aren’t on the same page because Bennett still doesn’t have a red zone target.
Do the Packers need Bennett to win another NFC North title? No. But they will need him to secure home field advantage in the NFC playoffs and punch the Packers’ tickets to the first Super Bowl since 2010.
With the amount of injuries this team has gone through, the Packers could use a dominating performance. Not just to reinforce that they weren’t wrong about the former Patriot, but to take some pressure off an offense that had to start a guard at tackle on Thursday because the starters and second-stringers are all hurt.
Filed Under:[URL=/blog/category/1265-lombardi-ave/ted-thompson" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="]Ted Thompson[/URL][URL=/blog/category/corys-corner" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="]Cory's Corner[/URL][URL=/blog/category/featured" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="]Featured[/URL][URL=/blog/category/packer-offense/tight-ends" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="]Tight ends[/URL]NFL Categories:[URL=/taxonomy/term/12336" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="]Green Bay Packers[/URL]Tags:[URL=/tag/martellus-bennett" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="]Martellus Bennett[/URL][URL=/tag/green-bay-packers" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="]green bay packers[/URL][URL=/tag/aaron-rodgers" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="]Aaron Rodgers[/URL]
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