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(PHOTO: Chris Humphreys - USA TODAY Sports) Well, it was certainly fun while it lasted.
The return of Martellus Bennett was certainly one of the bigger surprises of 2017, but it appears he wasn’t kidding when he seemingly had doubts about his body before arriving in New England.
Bennett had reportedly told his agent to tell teams not to bother claiming him after the Packers waived him last month, citing his ailing shoulder as the reason because he planned on having surgery. Instead, a call from Bill Belichick and the idea of making another run with the Patriots seemed to be an opportunity he couldn’t turn down.
Unfortunately, it lasted just two games after the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride reported on Monday that the Patriots were placing Bennett on injured reserve. According to reports, Bennett suffered a torn hamstring out in Denver, which compounded with his ailing shoulder, proved to be too much for him to gut through despite his efforts.
He finished a perfect 6-of-6 when he was targeted, hauling in 53 yards in his two games with New England, along with one first down during a couple of limited outings. He played just 7 snaps against Denver, followed by 17 snaps against the Raiders and was inactive Sunday against the Dolphins.
Bennett’s time in New England still proved to be important, especially since he helped New England get through a couple of games without injured receiver Chris Hogan, who should be getting closer to returning after suffering a shoulder injury of his own right before the bye week. Danny Amendola was also banged up, which at the time had left the Patriots seriously thin at receiver.
While it’s disappointing they’re losing him, his return may be something that’s talked about down the road should the Patriots go on to have success in the postseason.
The only question now may be whether or not Bennett opts to remain true to his intentions to retire, which he mentioned leading up to his initial release from the Packers to begin with.
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