Gronk, Black Unicorn should star as Patriots revive two-TE offense

The New England Patriots’ vaunted two-tight end offense is back. Why? Because the Black Unicorn is coming to Foxoboro.

The Chicago Bears finally unloaded tight end Martellus Bennett, who stopped buying into the team, trading him to the Patriots in a swap of late-round picks (a fourth-rounder to the Bears, a sixth to the Patriots).

It’s a fascinating deal on a few levels.

If Bennett buys into Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the Patriot Way, it could be a steal. If not, he’s in the final year of his deal — the Patriots often acquire reclamation projects in contract years — and they can let him walk and earn the compensatory pick down the road.

Bennett, as his nickname suggests, is an interesting cat. He can be engaging and hilarious. He also can be irreverent and distracting. Bears officials described in private a highly intelligent young men (he turned 29 less than a week ago) who often loses focus and can be self-absorbed. But when motivated, he’s a difference maker.

Pair the 6-6, 270-pound Bennett with Rob Gronkowski, and Brady could have an incredible red-zone tandem. As it was last season, the Patriots had the fourth-best red-zone conversion rate but did not get what they expected out of the Gronk-Scott Chandler duo when they signed him last offseason. Chandler was cut last month, leaving tight end a sore spot.

No longer. In a weak free-agent and draft crop this year, the options were limited. The two-TE thing could be in its fullest effect since (gulp) the Aaron Hernandez days. That’s when the Patriots offense, sans Randy Moss, has been as its toughest to defend. They might not have size at wide receiver, but they are loaded again at tight end with two big, athletc targets who can go vertical and cause matchup nightmares.

Bennett was available to 30 other teams, all of whom passed, having seen him fade a bit last season, one year removed from a 90-catch campaign. But the Patriots were willing to take a chance and continue a surprising little wave of roster turnover. On Tuesday, the team traded Chandler Jones for offensive guard Jonathan Cooper and a second-round pick, and later signed Chris Long.

There will be more moves coming. They have 10 draft picks, including two second-rounders, two thirds and — get this — five sixth-rounders. Here’s guessing that Belichick will package some of those picks, either moving up for the right player or perhaps trading some for 2017 picks, which they currently are a bit short on.

For the Bears, this is another strong move in terms of patience by young GM Ryan Pace, who has stockpiled late picks for unwanted parts. The Bears still have needs across the board, and strong drafting will help them fill those voids. No sneezing at sixth-rounders; hey, Brady was once one.

But this trade is about the Patriots. In Bennett and Long, they’ve acquired two smart, thoughtful, colorful characters who are in need of a career reboot on the field. Both still have time to contribute, and it’s clear — even with the Jones trade — that the Patriots are loading up for another run, and even with their first-round pick stripped from them by deflate-gate, they have plenty of ammo left to do so.

Man, we’re still trying to picture Bennett and Gronk in the same meeting room. That alone is enough to make this trade a fascinating one.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm