Green Bay Packers: Stacking up the tight ends in the NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers
More than a few Packer backers endorsed re-signing Jared Cook to a well-deserved multi-year agreement following his late and post-season heroics that opened things up for the passing game down the stretch.
Aaron Rodgers was of the same mindset when he publicly suggested that Cook be brought back, but GM Ted Thompson was in no mood to negotiate with the well-traveled tight when he balked at Green Bay’s 3-year proposal somewhere in the area of $6 million per.
Instead, the Packers began looking elsewhere and secured the rights to 30-year-old Martellus Bennett on a similar deal.
Fresh off a Super Bowl Championship as a member of the New England Patriots, the 275-pound Bennett may not quite have the downfield speed of his predecessor, but he’s arguably one of the most complete players at his position.
As a pure route runner, Marty B. can line out wide or in the slot while using his hands and ability to stay low off the snap to get a clean release against press coverage.
And what he does after the catch is just as amazing for the hulking 6-foot-6 starting tight end, as he often squeezes out extra yardage by utilizing head and shoulder fakes and occasionally finishing off plays with a mighty stiff arm (see catch-and-run plays versus Seattle’s Earl Thomas and Miami’s Byron Maxwell).
The sure-handed Bennett also has Cook beat in terms of reliability in the passing game with the former ranking 3rd at tight end with a 75.3-percent catch rate in 2016 versus the latter’s 58.8 average.
Over the course of their careers, in fact, Bennett has caught at least 65-percent of his targets seven times since entering the league in 2008. Cook, on the other hand, has yet to reach that number in his eight seasons as a professional athlete.
As far as his blocking is concerned, the artist known as “The Black Unicorn” is much more than a willing participant. No. 88 is unquestionably dominant at sealing the edge on outside runs when he’s close to 100-percent healthy.
Bennett wasn’t quite as effective in that regard during weeks when he was forced to fight through an assortment of lower-body issues last season.
Backing up “Martysaurus Rex” will be Milwaukee’s own Lance Kendricks, who posted a career-high 50 receptions as a Los Angeles Ram in 2016.
The one-time Wisconsin Badger has decent speed and is flexible enough to smoothly glide in and out of his breaks. Furthermore, he excels at lining up in the backfield and blocking on the move.
Both Bennett and Kendricks can up in-line, outside, in the slot or even at fullback if needed.
All this leaves Richard Rodgers picking up the rear as the third-string option. The catch-and-fall specialist poses no threat of stretching the field and is an average help blocker on his best day, but you’ll never see him put guys on their butts.
Rodgers could conceivably be bumped off the roster if second-year man Beau Sandland exhibits enhanced polish in his route running this summer.
Sandland is significantly faster than Rodgers and is also the superior in-line blocker. The team can save quite a few dollars if the Montana State grad outplays the 4th year veteran, who’s making close to $1.8 million.
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Converted wide receiver Aaron Peck is a practice-squad candidate that has to learn the nuances of his new position. The team likes his physicality in making plays in traffic and Peck also shows the instincts to break off his route and come back to his quarterback.
Grade: A-