Deadline day deal brings WR Benjamin up north to Buffalo
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.
Denne historien er fra Nov. 18, 2017: Vol. 14, No. 10-utgaven av Bills Digest.
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Denne historien er fra Nov. 18, 2017: Vol. 14, No. 10-utgaven av Bills Digest.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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TRACKING TRAINING CAMP
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Right back in the swing of things
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1st & Ten with STEFON DIGGS
Stefon Diggs had one of the best seasons ever by a Bills receiver in 2020, and he’s looking for an encore. Diggs was clearly amped up and ready to go as the Bills began their preparations for the new season, leading the huddle and supporting his teammates as they kicked off training camp in Orchard Park. Diggs recently touched on his goals for the upcoming season for both himself and the team in an informative discussion with members of the media. Here are the highlights from that discussion.
RUNNING BACKS: TOP AVAILABLE FREE AGENTS
Aaron Jones, Packers 5-9 • 208 pounds • 27 years old A fifth-round steal in the 2017 draft out of UTEP, Jones is equally proficient in the running and passing games. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards the last two years, and caught 49 and 47 passes, respectively. He’s also a touchdown machine with 30 TDs the last two years (25 rushing and 5 receiving). The son of two career Army officers, he’s a tough, driven player and the kind of guy players want on their team.
THE RIGHT STUFF?
Keeping two important starters is a priority as the right side of the O-line hits free agency
QUARTERBACKS: TOP AVAILABLE FREE AGENTS
Dak Prescott, Cowboys 6-2 • 235 pounds • 27 years old A solid starter who has a nice TD-INT ratio over his first five seasons (104-40), Prescott is an accurate thrower and very mobile. However, he’s coming off a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle, so it remains to be seen if this will impact his game moving forward.
TIGHT ENDS: TOP AVAILABLE FREE AGENTS
Hunter Henry, Chargers 6-5 • 250 pounds • 29 years old A very talented player, Henry has had issues staying healthy, unable to complete an NFL season, including missing the entire 2018 season with a torn ACL. But when healthy, he’s a terrific all-around tight end who really connected with Justin Herbert in 2020 with 60 catches. Henry is very good at finding holes in zone coverage.
