FRIDAY: Benjamin is working out as a tight end, Raanan tweets. Once referred to on Monday Night Football as being a Popeyes biscuit away from being a tight end, Benjamin — at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds — was one of the biggest wide receivers in NFL history. Rather than attempt to join a crowded Giants receiving corps, the former first-round pick will opt to try his hand at tight end. The Giants have Evan Engram going into his contract year, and they signed Kyle Rudolph earlier this offseason.
THURSDAY: The Giants are going to be having a surprising familiar name tryout this weekend. New York will host veteran Kelvin Benjamin alongside some young guys, a source told Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
While this news certainly wasn’t expected since Benjamin hasn’t played in a game since 2018, it’s also not totally out of left field. Giants GM Dave Gettleman drafted Benjamin when he was with the Panthers, so there’s at least a connection here. Benjamin was drafted by Carolina 28th overall back in 2014, and he put up big numbers with Cam Newton as a rookie.
In his first pro season, Benjamin had 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns. After missing 2015 with a torn ACL, he had 941 yards and seven touchdowns in 2016. He was traded to the Bills midway through the 2017 season, and his career went downhill quickly after that.
Buffalo cut him toward the end of the 2018 campaign, he latched on with the Chiefs for the final few games, and hasn’t signed anywhere since. Not only that, but we haven’t even heard of any known interest in him since then.
The Giants have a crowded receiving depth chart after drafting Kadarius Toney in the first-round, so Benjamin should be considered a long-shot to make the team. That being said, it’d be a fun story if this does lead to a contract.
What’s he going to play, tackle?
Why didn’t he catch on somewhere in 2019 or 2020?
yeah, really
I mean if he put in a little weight, he has the size for Tightend
Gotta be a safer bet than Tebow.
They don’t need anymore receivers do they?
If he put on more weight he could be the star of “My six hundred pound life”
They are they bringing him in….. they have plenty of depth……
Apparently he is working out as TE at the minicamp. Interesting.
That’s a great quote
The Giants lead the league in “players who went downhill quickly”.
Wonderful to see a team with a Swiss Cheese offensive line emphasize so-called “skill players”. You could put Paul Warfield and Jerry Rice on this team, and DJ still wouldn’t have time to find them.
And of course we’re not sure if DJ WOULD ever find them.
This would be quite the comeback story. If this works, though, this would NYG in their biggest area of need receiving-wise, and that’s in the red zone. Benjamin working as a TE seems to point to a role in that. Of course, his experience as a WR makes him acclimated to lining up both on the tackle and outside. Not sure how his blocking will look, but I do know that’s the area that NYG will want to use him. Of course, that’s also why they signed Rudolph, so maybe the fact they’re still looking for help indicates a lack of attachment to Engram as well in that area. Or maybe they really are just kicking the tires of Benjamin.
Garrett got a lot of use out of Dez early on as an X in the red zone on fifty-fifty balls on fades and such. Benjamin is not on that level of course but I’d expect the Giants to try some of that. Benjamin needs to prove that he’s in shape, first and foremost, before they even see where he could have a role, so we’ll see if he can make the roster.
Oh dear god.