Will the Patriots trade Michael Bennett?
It’s a fair question on the heels of New England suspending the defensive end for one week for conduct detrimental to the team, especially since Bennett’s snap count has decreased each week and the Patriots could free up about $2 million or so by trading him.
Bennett revealed in a statement earlier this week his suspension stems from a “philosophical disagreement” he had with his position coach — Bret Bielema is New England’s defensive line coach — so it’s become apparent the three-time Pro Bowl pick isn’t happy with his reduced role. The Patriots basically have used Bennett as a situational pass-rusher despite his track record, and a trade might serve both parties well if he’s truly disgruntled.
It’s unclear whether Bennett will generate much interest on the trade market, but his past production and versatility suggest another team might consider him a useful piece worth pursuing before the Oct. 29 deadline. Former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum, whose résumé includes stints as the New York Jets’ general manager and the Miami Dolphins’ executive vice president of football operations, wouldn’t be surprised if a deal went down.
“There was just a recent bump in the road,” Tannenbaum, who now works as a football analyst for ESPN, told Mike Reiss, according to a piece published Friday on ESPN.com. “He comes across as a very strong-willed player, which is OK, because there are a lot of strong-willed players in the league. But I would want to be able to talk to him, which in the context of a trade you’re allowed to do, and find out what happened. If I feel like I’m a team, like we just saw with the Rams — on the precipice of being in the playoff hunt — and I needed a veteran interior pass-rusher, I would try to make a trade where I was protected. I would make it a conditional pick based on how much he played and produced. If I could protect my downside, I would definitely pursue it.”
The Patriots acquired Bennett in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles over the offseason and subsequently reworked his contract. He figured to be a good fit for New England’s defense, but the early returns have been minimal relative to his compensation.
Bennett played a season-low 11 snaps last week in the Patriots’ Week 6 win over the New York Giants.
