The New England Patriots have placed tight end Martellus Bennett and special team member Nate Ebner on season-ending injured reserve Monday. Bennett, who was claimed by the Patriots via waiver wire from the Green Bay Packers on November 9, has been dealing with shoulder and hamstring issues, while Ebner suffered a knee injury in their impressive 35-17 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 12.
The 30-year-old Bennett played two games for the Patriots, catching six passes for 53 yards. In seven games with the Packers, he caught 24 passes for 233 yards.
In his ten seasons, Bennett tallied 433 catches for 4,573 yards and 30 touchdowns in 144 games. Last season, he played 16 games for the Patriots, finishing with 55 catches for 701 yards and seven touchdowns and helping the team win Super Bowl LI. In the offseason, he signed a three-year deal with the Packers worth $21 million.
Patriots still strong at tight end
Despite Bennett’s loss, the Patriots have remained deep in the tight end position, with Will Tye providing support to starting tight end Rob Gronkowski. They also have other solid options in Dwayne Allen and rookie Jacob Hollister. The 28-year-old Ebner has been a Patriots’ key reserve in their special teams. In 82 regular-season games.
Ebner tallied five tackles on defense on top of 74 special teams tackles. In 12 playoff games, he tallied five special teams tackles. Ebner was a sixth-round pick by the Patriots in 2012.
Patriots fill 53-man roster spot
With their latest moves, the Patriots have opened two roster spots that they filled immediately by signing linebacker Nicholas Grigsby from the Baltimore Ravens practice squad and signed offensive lineman Jason King to the 53-man roster.
The 25-year-old Grigsby joined the Los Angeles Rams’ training camp but was released before the regular season. Grigsby later joined the Ravens practice squad in September. Last season, Grigsby appeared in the six regular-season games as a reserve but did not accrue any statistics.
The Ravens recently released the 24-year-old King from their practice squad.
King was originally signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent in May and joined the team’s training camp before he was released prior to the start of the regular season. He was then signed by the Patriots to their practice squad on September 20 and was released on October 9. On October 31, he joined the Ravens practice squad.
