One more piece has fallen into place for the Dallas Cowboys. Or in this case it may be more accurate to say that one has fallen out.
In a report in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram, Martellus Bennett has stated that he is not returning to the Cowboys, deciding to go to another team in free agency.
This is certainly no surprise to most of the readers here at BTB. Bennett spent his four years with Dallas in the considerable shadow of Jason Witten, one of the best tight ends in the game. He only caught 85 passes in his four years with the Cowboys, and only four of them were for touchdowns, all in his rookie season. This was generally seen as not living up to the second-round draft pick spent for him.
Bennett did develop a reputation as an outstanding blocker, but obviously that was not enough for him or for the team, which has stated it has no intention of trying to resign him.
Some of what Bennett had to say after the jump.
Martellus clearly feels that he has something to contribute.
"I want to be the No. 1 guy," Bennett said. "I feel like I'm a 60-catch-plus guy on a team, so I want to be in a system where I could do (that). I think a lot of people say the hybrid tight ends or the new type of tight ends are the ones to catch the ball, but I think the perfect tight ends are the ones who could actually block and do things with the ball after they catch it."
He may have several offers to choose from, since the free agent crop at tight end is seen as rather lackluster. Bennett is certainly an impressive physical specimen, and he is only going to be 25 next season, so it does seem likely that he will be able to get a fairly good deal from someone in need at the position.
"I want a team that believes in me and the things I'm capable of doing," Bennett said. "I still believe I haven't yet scratched the surface of my potential, and I'm only getting better and better daily, even now. So, I think the sky is the limit for me and really I just want to be in a good organization that believes in the things that I can do and what I bring and what I have to offer."