Hub Arkush at chicagofootball.com sums up his feelings about tight end Martellus Bennett, who, along with the Bears, is reported to be seeking a trade:
“Martellus Bennett reminds me a great deal of the kid back in school that no one understood.
“You know, some days you liked him, some days you weren’t so sure and some days you wished he’d just go away.
“He was the guy who often talked too much, had difficulty waiting his turn, always seemed restless, was easily distracted, had a short attention span, would sometimes blurt out answers and he always seemed to want to be the center of attention.
“These are all traits I’ve noticed in Bennett at times. “
I’ve said similar things about Bennett and am on record as saying that they should let him go. But lately I’ve been reconsidering my position.
The problem is that, though troubled, Bennett is extremely talented. If I really thought he was a bad guy, I’d stick by my original assessment. But really, I don’t think he is.
Bennett is immature and he’s also obviously got a problem with authority. But that doesn’t make him a bad person and I don’t think he’s the kind of locker room cancer that a more forceful, destructive personality that demanded that you take him seriously might make him. He’s really not Brandon Marshall.
Bennett’s the kind of person you roll your eyes at and maybe keep away from for a little while. But he’s also fairly harmless in the big picture and he’s not going to to your team apart.
If Bennett isn’t on the team next year and the team can’t resign Zach Miller for a reasonable price, they’re going to have created a massive hole on the roster when they have enough holes to fill as it is.
Bottom line, I don’t mind the Bears trying to trade away a player for the benefit of both himself and the team. He’s clearly very difficult, if not impossible, to manage. If they can get some value for him to offset their loss, then I can understand why they would let him go.
But here’s hoping that the speculation that the Bears will release Bennett if they can’t find a trade partner isn’t true. He’s a talented player who is under contract for a reasonable price of about $5 million dollars. Even if he skips voluntary offseason workouts again, he could be a valuable part of the offensive puzzle, if only for one more year.