FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced that they placed TE Martellus Bennett and DB Nate Ebner on Injured Reserve.
Bennett, 30, was claimed off waivers and awarded to New England from Green Bay on Nov. 9, 2017. Bennett was released by Green Bay on Nov. 8, 2017, after playing in seven games and finishing with 24 receptions for 233 yards. The 6-foot-6, 275-pounder played in two games as a reserve for the Patriots this season and caught six passes for 53 yards. Bennett has played in 144 games with 107 starts and has registered 433 receptions for 4,573 yards with 30 touchdowns in 10 seasons. He has also appeared in 5 postseason contests with four starts and compiled 14 receptions for 125 yards.
Bennett spent the 2016 season with New England after being acquired in a trade with Chicago in exchange for a 2016 fourth round draft pick on March 17, 2016. Last season with the Patriots, he played in all 16 games with 12 starts and finished with 55 receptions for 701 yards with seven touchdowns in the regular season. He also started all three postseason games, including Super Bowl LI, and added 11 receptions for 98 yards.
Ebner, 28, has played in 82 regular season games as a reserve as a core special teams member, and registered five tackles on defense to go along with 74 special teams tackles. The 6-foot, 220-pounder has also appeared in 12 playoff contests and posted five special teams tackles. Ebner originally entered the NFL as a six round draft choice (197th overall) by New England out of Ohio State in 2012.
