NFL: Patriots put tight end on injured reserve

For Martellus Bennett of the New England Patriots the season is over. The tight end was set to Injured Reserve with an injury to the back thigh muscle.

Bennett’s turbulent season is over after missing out on the Miami Dolphins in Week 12. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the decisive factor, however, is the large back thigh muscle, not the damaged shoulder.

Due to the early end of the season, however, Bennett will now be able to undergo shoulder surgery at an earlier date in order to repair a torn rotator cuff and a tear in the joint lip.

On his return to Foxborough – the patriots had reclaimed him by Waiver Wire after his release from the Green Bay Packers – Bennett played sporadically in two games and scored a total of six receptons for 53 yards. Last year he had won Super Bowl LI with New England.

It is not yet clear whether Bennett will continue his career. Before his release in Green Bay he had openly philosophized about his possibly last season on Instagram.

Without Bennett, the Patriots still have two backups for superstar Rob Gronkowski: Dwayne Allen and Rookie Jacob Hollister.

In addition, the Patriots on Monday also put Special-Teamer Nate Ebner on IR, after he had injured his knee in a fake punt against Miami.