Kelvin Benjamin has been traded to the Buffalo Bills for 3rd & 7th round picks in next year’s draft.
There’s no question the Bills were starving for receivers, after losing ex-top draft pick Sammy Watkins in a trade with the Rams, a hand injury slowing up newly acquired WR Jordan Matthews, and their top rookie Zay Jones not being able to catch a cold so far this year.
Benjamin should be able to step right in and help QB Tyrod Taylor & the struggling Bills passing offense. Yes, they might be sitting at 5-2, but with an anemic passing game, their solid defense will only last so long.
On the Panthers’ side, it’s not difficult to see why Benjamin would be expendable to them. He’s a bit limited in terms of skill set, not to mention they have another wideout (Devin Funchess) who is pretty much identical to everything he does well. He’s only registered 1,000 yards once in his career, & there were complaints about weight gain during OTAs. A new start would likely benefit him.
The Bills are pretty much in a win-win. Carolina has already picked up his 5th year option, so Buffalo will only be on the hook for $8.5M of Benjamin’s salary next year…meaning if Benjamin doesn’t pan out, they can get out from under the deal relatively easily.
Chances are those draft picks wouldn’t be starting, contributing players right away. Benjamin is a low end WR1 or high end WR2 right away.
Who won the trade?