In his first year in 2008, Martellus Bennett caught 20 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns. Not bad for a rookie TE who played behind one of the best in the league in Jason Witten.
Bennett's potential as a regular contributor on offense inspired Jason Garrett's favoring of the 2-TE set going into '09. Throughout training camp and the preseason, Bennett's apparent prowess confirmed that the Cowboys' offense was ready to consistently feature such a formation. All along, John Phillips, a TE drafted in the 6th-round, was steadily supporting the fact that he should not only make the final 53, but also be included in the regular season gameplan.
Last season, Bennett failed to surpass his rookie season's production by catching just 15 passes for 159 yards and zero scores. With the rookie, Phillips, catching 7 for 62 yards along with a TD in the playoff victory over Philadelphia, Bennett just may have some real competition for the spot behind Witten come this year's training camp.
Both Bennett and Phillips have shown the ability to mature into effective blockers from the TE position. Though, Witten is an essential cog in both the team's running and passing attacks.
What if (I'm afraid to even say it) one of these guys has to fill in and also step up as a receiving threat? Who is better suited to be Witten's primary backup?