Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin signs with Giants

Buffalo Bills fans saw a familiar name in NFL news on Sunday morning as the New York Giants signed former wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin. However, the former first round pick is returning to the NFL as a tight end.

The position switch certainly makes sense as Benjamin has the size at 6’5″ and 245 pounds but with below average speed, he needed to use that size more to beat cornerbacks and create separation.

Benjamin started his career with the Carolina Panthers and had a great start to his career with 1,008 receiving yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie. He missed the entire 2015 season due to a knee injury but returned in 2016 and had 941 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

He started the 2017 season with the Panthers but then was traded to the Bills midseason with the Bills sending a third round pick to the Panthers. While it was only one draft pick, this was a deal that didn’t work out for the Bills.

He finished the 2017 season with 16 receptions and 217 yards and one receiving touchdown in six games. He would then play in 12 games in 2018 and had 23 receptions, 354 yards, and one touchdown but an awful catch rate of 37%.

The Buffalo Bills ultimately decided that Kelvin Benjamin was not part of their long-term plan and cut him before the end of the 2018 season. He would sign with the Kansas City Chiefs and play in two games but that was the last time he played in the NFL.

While it has been three seasons since Benjamin has been in the NFL, a return to professional football with the New York Giants isn’t too surprising. The Giants current general manager, Dave Gettleman, was the general manager for the Panthers when they drafted Benjamin in the first round.

The trade for Kelvin Benjamin by the Buffalo Bills didn’t work out but a position switch may be what Benjamin needs to return to the NFL.