Bills Make Big Move At Receiver

Deadline day deal brings WR Benjamin up north to Buffalo

- Mark Ludwiczak

Brandon Beane has been anything but shy in reshaping the Bills roster since taking over as general manager, and he pulled off yet another stunner just before this year’s trade deadline.

Shortly before the deadline passed, the Bills added a new potential No. 1 receiver to their roster in Kelvin Benjamin. Benjamin was acquired from Beane’s former team, the Carolina Panthers, for third- and seventh-round picks. (The third-round pick was Buffalo’s third-round pick from next year’s draft; the seventh-round pick was previously acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for quarterback Cardale Jones.)

Benjamin gives the Bills some much-needed help at their most glaring positional need.

“I was looking at any area that would help us, I honestly was,” Beane said. “Receiver was definitely one of the highlighted areas, but any position would have helped us and made sense for us, again, to win today and win tomorrow, we would have made the move.”

Beane is certainly familiar with what Benjamin can do on the football field. Beane was assistant general manager with the Panthers when Carolina selected Benjamin with the 28th overall pick in 2014; ironically enough, Benjamin was selected 24 picks after the man he is replacing as Buffalo’s top receiver, Sammy Watkins.