Apparently, the Giants liked what they saw from Kelvin Benjamin. After bringing Benjamin in for a tryout this weekend, New York has agreed to terms with the former first-rounder, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter).
Benjamin, of course, entered the league as a wide receiver, and that’s where he has played since Giants GM Dave Gettleman — then the general manager of the Panthers — drafted him in 2014. But Benjamin primarily worked out as a tight end during this weekend’s visit, so it appears he is undergoing a position change.
Now 30, Benjamin’s size (6-5, 245 pounds) makes him something of a natural fit at TE. And given that his career fell off a cliff after he was traded from Carolina to the Bills midway through the 2017 season, he almost had to try something different. Indeed, after spending the final few games of the 2018 campaign with the Chiefs following his release from Buffalo, there were no public reports of interest in his services until he got a call from the Giants.
With Evan Engram and free agent acquisition Kyle Rudolph ahead of him on the depth chart, Benjamin will battle for a a TE3 job alongside the likes of Levine Toilolo and Kaden Smith. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv believes Benjamin is facing an uphill battle in his quest for a regular season roster spot (Twitter link), but his background as a receiver and his physical stature make him an intriguing low-risk flier just the same.
Benjamin is the second of the five veterans Big Blue recently invited to the facility to get a contract. RB Corey Clement has also put pen to paper, and as Dan Duggan of The Athletic tweets, the Giants waived RB Jordan Chunn and TE Nate Wieting to make room for Clement and Benjamin on the 90-man roster.
As far as stature goes, Benjamin will definitely be behind. Toilolo is 6’8”, and Rudolph is 6’6”.
Benjamin does, or did, have great leaping ability though. That’s the real value he has, and if he can get his hands back to where they were early in his career, Benjamin can be of great use in the red zone. That and his ability to split out wide will be great for NYG if he is actually back in game shape.
Thing is, Toilolo is a great blocker, and is a very experienced second string TE. Benjamin fills a role that Engram or Rudolph do already, and though those guys are not primarily blockers, they both figure to be better at that than Benjamin. I suspect that Benjamin will see a lot of time out wide to get snaps. Heck, they might do that with he and Engram and put Rudolph next to the tackle in the red zone and just create problems for defenses. We’ll see what happens.
Damn, these guys are behemoths these days.
Interesting these guys who get weighed at age 22 in tip top shape prior to the combine and then carry that number around for the rest of their career. I wish I could do that when I go to the dr’s office. No, I’m good doc, just go with my 22 year old me weight.
They must be looking for someone to balance the load on the team plane, as Benjamin is a long shot to even make the team, never mind be a contributor.
His lazy fat ass won’t make the team.
How’s his blocking? The O-line still needs help.