Getty Images Kelvin Benjamin during his short stint with the Bills.
Just last week the Buffalo Bills decided to part ways with their wide receiver, Kelvin Benjamin. While the timing of the release was surprising, it wasn’t precisely a horrible idea. Benjamin wasn’t working out in Buffalo, and at some point, he became a distraction. He wasn’t hitting his stride with the team, and there wasn’t much of a reason to keep him on board, so the team wasted no time cutting him loose.
The Kansas City Chiefs took advantage of Benjamin’s release. If there’s one veteran coach in the NFL that can potentially get a struggling, yet, significant-named wideout involved, it’s Andy Reid. Heading onto the Chiefs, Benjamin had a little over 300 yards and only one touchdown. Granted, the situation out in Buffalo has been rough all year, so it’s tough to fault Benjamin for lack of production. Not that Benjamin ever lived up to the hype of being a first-round selection by the Carolina Panthers anyway, but at least he’s getting a real chance elsewhere on a team that is relatively good to wideouts.
The quarterbacking situation with Patrick Mahomes is obviously great since he’s an MVP candidate. But outside of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, their passing game hasn’t had that much help. With Sammy Watkins constantly injured, nobody really stepped into a more prominent role throughout the season, which gave the Chiefs the idea to swing the bat on Benjamin.
Will Benjamin Flourish with the Chiefs?
Before Thursday night’s matchup, it was announced that Kelvin Benjamin would see a significant amount of snaps. The Chiefs didn’t feel a need to ease him into the role. Kansas City needs all of the playmakers they can get, and the opportunity was left up for grabs for Benjamin. Not many expected a breakout night for the veteran wideout, so the stat line that he produced wasn’t exactly so disappointing. Benjamin finished with one reception off of two targets for a whopping total of 17 yards.
In other words, Benjamin wasn’t much a contributor. And in all honesty, nobody should expect him to be. The Chiefs could realistically be the last team that gives Benjamin a chance. It’s clear that the former first-round pick will not live up to his draft position value, but he hasn’t really contributed much overall. You have to cut him some slack for just joining the Kansas City offense a week ago, but you shouldn’t really expect much out of Benjamin moving forward.