Earl Bryan Bennett was born on March 23,1987 and is a former American football wide receiver who is currently the director of player development at Vanderbilt.
23 Facts About Earl Bennett
2.
Earl Bennett was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
3.
Bears head coach Lovie Smith said Earl Bennett would be given "every opportunity" to win a spot as a starting receiver alongside Devin Hester in 2009.
4.
Earl Bennett did just that during the course of mandatory mini-camp and training camp, as he showed an ability to make tough grabs in traffic and a willingness to go over the middle.
5.
Earl Bennett was the only Bears receiver to catch at least 1 pass in each game played during the 16-Game regular season in which the Bears missed the playoffs.
6.
Earl Bennett got off to a strong start in season in the Week 1 match-up against the Green Bay Packers, making seven catches for 66 yards.
7.
Two weeks later against the Seattle Seahawks, Earl Bennett caught four passes for 80 yards.
8.
In Week 16 against the division rival Minnesota Vikings, Earl Bennett caught three passes for 35 yards, along with his second career receiving touchdown.
9.
Earl Bennett had a key two-point conversion against the Seattle Seahawks for his first points of the 2009 season and his career.
10.
Earl Bennett caught his first career touchdown from Jay Cutler against the St Louis Rams in Week 13 as well completing a career-long 71-yard pass reception.
11.
Earl Bennett finished the season with 717 yards on 54 catches with two receiving touchdowns and a punt return touchdown as well.
12.
Earl Bennett caught his third career receiving touchdown in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills in Toronto.
13.
In Week 2 against the Saints, Earl Bennett was injured, and did not return to the game.
14.
In Week 9, Earl Bennett's return helped the Bears defeat the Eagles with a touchdown pass.
15.
However, after the Eagles game, Earl Bennett was fined $5,000 for wearing bright orange cleats.
16.
On December 12, Earl Bennett was signed to a four-year extension, keeping him with the Bears through 2014.
17.
In Week 17 against the Lions, Earl Bennett caught five passes for 109 yards, a career best, and one touchdown.
18.
In 2013, Earl Bennett caught 32 passes for 243 yards and a career-high four touchdowns.
19.
Earl Bennett missed the 2013 week 17 game against the Green Bay Packers after his brother's death.
20.
On March 18,2014, Earl Bennett was released by the Bears after refusing to have his salary reduced.
21.
On May 14,2014, Earl Bennett signed with the Cleveland Browns.
22.
Earl Bennett was named the director of player development at his alma mater Vanderbilt on February 8,2021.
23.
In January 2015, Earl Bennett returned to Vanderbilt University to complete his educational studies degree from Peabody College of Education and Human Development.