The Bears on Tuesday addressed a key need on the first day of NFL free agency, agreeing to terms on a four-year contract with tight end Martellus Bennett. The 6-6, 265-pounder spent his first four NFL seasons with the Cowboys from 2008-11 after being selected by Dallas in the second round of the draft out of Texas A&M. As the Cowboys' No. 2 tight end behind Jason Witten, Bennett appeared in 60 games with 40 starts, catching 85 passes for 846 yards and four touchdowns. After signing a one-year contract with the New York Giants in 2012, Bennett enjoyed a breakout season, establishing personal highs with 55 receptions for 626 yards and five TDs while starting all 16 games for the first time in his career. Bears tight ends combined for only 29 receptions in 2012, the fewest in the NFL for the second straight year. A Bears tight end had caught at least 20 passes in 17 straight seasons before the streak was snapped in 2011. Speaking to reporters Feb. 14 at Halas Hall, new Bears tight ends coach Andy Bischoff said: "We need a tight end that can threaten the defense. "We need a tight end that can create stress in the middle of the field, or wherever we place him, because we're going to line him up next to the tackle, outside the numbers and in the backfield, and we're going to expect the defense to figure it out."
Shortly after agreeing to terms with tight end Martellus Bennett Tuesday, the Bears continued a highly productive first day of free agency by addressing another key need on offense. The team agreed to a five-year contract with former Saints left tackle Jermon Bushrod , one of the NFL's most talented and durable offensive linemen. The 6-5, 315-pounder has been voted to the Pro Bowl each of the last two seasons and has started 54 consecutive games. Bushrod, 28, was selected by New Orleans in the fourth round of the 2007 draft out of Towson. He anchored the Saints' offensive line during their Super Bowl championship season in 2009 and has started all 16 games each of the past three years. After joining the Bears, Bushrod took to his Twitter account (@j_bushrod7475) and wrote: "It's been a bittersweet day for my family and I ... Excited about our new opportunity in Chicago but extremely sad about leaving New Orleans. I'm very appreciative of the support I've gotten over the years from the #Whodatnation and I will never forget that as I move forward in life." Bushrod will reunite in Chicago with new Bears offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, who served as Bushrod's position coach the past four years in New Orleans. During that span, the Saints permitted just 96 sacks, tied for the fewest in the NFL, led the league in total offense (413.6 yards per game) and ranked second in scoring (29.7 points per game). New Orleans also ranked in the top five in fewest sacks allowed each of those four seasons. In 2011, the Saints set NFL records with 7,474 total yards (467.1) and 5,347 passing yards (334.2) while ranking second in scoring (34.2 points) and yielded the second fewest sacks (24). Last season New Orleans ranked second in total yards (410.9) and third in scoring (28.8 points). They also allowed only 26 sacks, tied for the third fewest in the league.
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