Cleveland Browns: Kicking the tires on Kelvin Benjamin
By Randy Gurzi
The Cleveland Browns need help at wide receiver and a former first-round pick, Kelvin Benjamin, just hit the open market. Should they kick the tires?
A player at a position of need just became available for the Cleveland Browns as wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin was released by the Buffalo Bills this week. A former first-round pick, Benjamin had quite a fall from grace up to this point in his career.
As a rookie in 2014, Benjamin had 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns while bringing in 73 receptions. He then tore his ACL in training camp the following season, which caused him to miss all of 2015.
Benjamin returned in 2016, but there were issues regarding his weight. Still, he put up 941 yards that season regaining his role as the No. 1 receiver for the Carolina Panthers. That didn’t last much longer as he was traded to Buffalo at the deadline last season.
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He ended up with just 692 yards and three touchdowns while playing with the two clubs, but there was hope that stability in Buffalo would come after a full offseason with them. That never happened as the 6-foot-5 receiver managed just 23 receptions on 62 targets for 354 yards and a touchdown.
This has been the worst season of Benjamin’s career by far. He also got some bad press when placing some of his struggles in Carolina on Cam Newton, claiming a better quarterback would help him succeed.
He surely wasn’t getting that in Buffalo with Nathan Peterman, Josh Allen, Derek Anderson, and Matt Barkley all getting starts for the offensively challenged Bills.
So with all the issues this season, should the Browns kick the tires on Benjamin? Well, it couldn’t hurt to at least look.
If they did decide to bring Benjamin in, it would give them a big-bodied wideout, which they currently lack. And it’s not like they would have to commit to him long-term as they can use him the final few games as a trial run.
As for precedent, the Browns have had some decent success with Breshad Perriman, another former first-round pick who didn’t work out with his first team. Perriman was a bust with the Ravens, but with the Browns, he’s been a nice addition who came in very cheap.
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Benjamin may be done in the league as there are whispers he doesn’t care about the game. But it costs Cleveland nothing to at least make a call and see for themselves if there’s something there to salvage.