Jason Witten Believes Martellus Bennett Can Thrive In NY

Bennett signed a one-year deal with the Giants last month

Having shared a locker room with Martellus Bennett for four seasons in Dallas, Cowboys’ tight end Jason Witten believes the Texas A&M product is in a good position to flourish with the rival New York Giants--the team with which Bennett signed last month--due in no small part to the fact that he won’t be playing behind a seven-time Pro Bowler in New York.

Yeah, I think he fits that offense in a lot of ways,” Witten said, per the Star-Ledger. “I think his confidence was probably shaken a little bit in Dallas. Few plays, his numbers were limited, so I’m sure that’s a part of it.

“He’s a good blocker, he’s a good underneath route runner and he’s big so he can catch the ball. I think, more than anything, getting his confidence back and getting a fresh start will do a lot for his career. Definitely a lot of upside.”

Interestingly, when discussing Bennett’s opportunity in New York, Witten discussed a lack of distractions under Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin and tight ends coach Mike Pope--which seems to suggest the presence of distractions in Dallas, the root of which (Bennett himself, or the Cowboys) are unclear in his remarks.

“Ultimately, when I found out he was going to the Giants, I wished him congratulations because I know he kind of fits that power offense and Mike Pope is one of the best tight ends coaches there is,” Witten said. “Anybody who plays the position knows that about him. He does a good job of eliminating distractions and allowing his players to be the best. I think he’s done that for many, many years, going back to (Jeremy) Shockey and taking a guy like (Jake) Ballard who’s undrafted and getting him to play at a high level.

“So a key component in that is Mike and that system. Coach Coughlin, no tolerance for any of that stuff. If you leave those distractions aside, Martellus is going to do a good job.”

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