Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett make up the most dominant tight end duo in the NFL. In terms of pure pass-catching the tandem is leaps and bounds better than the rest of the league.
Despite normally being the alpha dog during his career, Bennett told ESPN on Wednesday he has no problem riding in Gronk's sidecar.
"I'm super excited about it because it takes a little pressure off of me too," Bennett said, via CSN New England. "I really don't mind being Robin, you know? So right now it's just working every day and just trying to get better. He's an excellent player, and I'm gonna be able to get a lot of single coverages with him."
It's no shame to play backup singer to Gronk, who has statistically been one of the best tight ends in NFL history to start his career.
Bill Belichick has been ahead on trends for the majority of the past 20 years. Deploying two-tight ends in Gronk and Aaron Hernandez earlier this decade was one genius move that confounded defensed. Since Hernandez's arrest and ensuing conviction, the Pats haven't had the personnel to replicate that offensive attack.
With Bennett now in New England, the Patriots again own two of the top pass-catching tight ends in the NFL. It will be a nightmare for defensive coordinators to match the versatility.
"I don't really know what my role is in the offense just yet because there's a lot of things that they're finding out that I can do that people haven't let me do in the past which has been very, very exciting," Bennett said. "They let me . . . They're expanding, and they're just saying, 'Let's see if you can do it. Can he do this? Can he do that?' It's like finally getting the leashes off and letting me go."
Whatever his role, expect it to be big enough to impact defenses while not cutting into Gronk's production. In New England there are always enough balls to go around.
