A few weeks back, New England completed a trade with Philadelphia that sent a fifth-round pick in exchange for DE Michael Bennett and a seventh-round pick. Bennett spent only one year in Philadelphia, totaling nine sacks. Prior to his time with the Eagles, Bennett was a Seattle Seahawk. In his five years in Seattle, he recorded 39 sacks and seven forced fumbles.
This morning, the Patriots gave Bennett the raise he was asking for on his way out of Philadelphia. New England bumped up the $15.2 million that he was getting in his remaining two years on his deal to $16.75 million. On top of that, Bennett also received a $4 million signing bonus as well. The pay raise actually creates $750K in cap space for the Patriots this season.
There were a lot of questions surrounding the move when it was made. At the time, the Patriots’ DC was expected to be Greg Schiano, Bennett’s HC during his time in Tampa Bay. Bennett had a lot to say about Schiano after he left in free agency. “He has small [man’s] syndrome. I still talk to guys who are there, and trust me, there’s not much respect for him in that locker room,” Bennett said about Schiano. Since Bennett’s signing, Schiano has left the Patriots (without actually being formally hired) citing “faith and family” as his reasons.
The 33-year-old Bennett has been a match-up problem for opponents for a while and was a main focus of Ernie Adams and the New England Patriots during preparations for Super Bowl XLIX. Adams said that Bennett was basically unblockable throughout the Super Bowl. Re-watching the game, he truly was extremely difficult to handle. That game Bennett had no sacks, but his impact was much greater than the basic stat-sheet. He hit Brady four times, and if it weren’t for Brady’s patented quick release, Bennett would’ve had multiple sacks on the QB.
Now, this offseason, New England let Trey Flowers, they’re most consistent pass-rusher, find a new home in Detroit. Many people were unhappy with the decision to let him walk, but for the money he got (five-year $90 million deal), I’m more than okay with this. The Patriots found Bennett for nearly HALF the money annually and a mid-round pick. Yes, Bennett is older, but he’s still producing when given the opportunity.
Let’s compare the two, using the last three seasons (since Flowers became a starter).
Trey Flowers:
- 45 games
- 21 sacks
- 5 forced fumbles
- 59 QB hits.
Michael Bennett:
- 43 games
- 22.5 sacks
- 2 forced fumbles
- 73 QB hits
So, Bennett leads in sacks and QB hits. Now, this might be because they play in different systems. New England notoriously asks their players to do a lot more than other teams. We’ve seen Florwers, Chandler Jones, and Rob Ninkovich being dropped into coverage at times. That might be a new challenge for Bennett. We also know how much the Patriots count on their DEs to stay disciplined to stop the run. This may also be something that affects his numbers and performance.
How about if we go talk to our good friends over at PFF? Since 2014, Bennett has one of the highest QB pressure totals, behind only Von Miller and Khalil Mack. They had Bennett ranked as the 21st best DE last season. Flowers, on the other hand, was ranked as the eighth best.
We all know my feelings about PFF, so I don’t need to get into that again. However, I don’t feel that there’s that big of a gap between the two. The reason why Flowers is getting paid that much more is because of his age and potential. At Bennett’s age, he’s still producing. He’ll likely continue to produce as the best pass-rusher in New England, so I don’t see anything that merits the huge disparity in ranking or pay between the two.
This next year is an important one for New England. Certainly the team is not completely constructed, but as of now, they have their issues and holes. Bennett should be able to step up and fill the void left by Flowers rather seamlessly.