Kelvin Benjamin’s short window of opportunity is now open with Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes has a lot of praise for new Chiefs wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin and he’ll get a chance to show it on Thursday.

Kelvin Benjamin is working on a short leash.

The newest member of the Kansas City Chiefs was signed as a free agent with only four games to go on the regular season calendar, and his lack of familiarity with the game plan, the locker room, and the concepts kept him from being active for the first contest. That leaves only three games left for Benjamin to make any sort of impact—at least before the postseason.

A quick history: Kelvin Benjamin was a first-round draft selection by the Carolina Panthers as recently as 2014, a 6’5 wide receiver built like a linebacker who was supposed to be Cam Newton’s go-to possession receiver and an end zone nightmare for opposing defenses. While his early returns were promising, Benjamin was dealt to the Buffalo Bills for third and seventh-round draft picks in 2017. The Panthers were glad to recoup something for a player who was more of a distraction than anything.

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Benjamin failed to rehabilitate his image in Buffalo. Instead, he only added to the reputation that he’s a me-first player with a poor work ethic. He was seen as lazy on and off the field, a guy unwilling to put in the requisite work to allow his natural talents to shine. When the Bills cut him loose several days ago, no one claimed him on waivers. The contract was simply far too much for a player that is now a troubled flyer, so to speak.

Enter the Chiefs, the first team to host him for a free agent visit. Despite the baggage, the front office and/or coaching staff clearly saw something in Benjamin. Perhaps it’s another low-risk opportunity for Brett Veach. Maybe it’s a way to sign a player in the midst of numerous injuries. Perhaps they can game plan around a player with such a rare size (and maybe skills). All of this remains to be seen.

This window for Benjamin is a small one but it’s also custom-built for such a player. The Chiefs are a very positive environment with a strong emotional core in Andy Reid as the head coach. This offense can also make anyone look good with Patrick Mahomes and his MVP candidacy under center each week. The injuries are also piling up which means Benjamin might get some real looks.

Benjamin also comes in without any real expectations. The Chiefs are dealing with injuries to Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill, so if he can help step up in the mix with Chris Conley and Demarcus Robinson, that’s great. If not, the Chiefs likely aren’t paying him much for this quarter-season tryout as it is. But for a player who could use a quarterback to make him look good, Benjamin struck oil.

The Chiefs were also quick believers in Benjamin’s talent, which means he should get the chance to prove what he can do. Check out Mahomes’s words on Benjamin after practicing some reps with him earlier in practice:

"“Just from throwing with him recently this last week, I mean, he has a ton of talent,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said of Benjamin. “You could throw the ball out of the stadium and he’s going to catch it. You just have to build that trust with him as the rest of the season goes on, and he’ll be a great asset to this team.”"

If Mahomes has trust in this newfound receiver and a lack of other healthy options on the field, he might just give Benjamin some important looks when it counts the most—in the end zone, in crunch time, in third-and-long situations. And while it might not be a lot of game tape for Benjamin to put together, it could be just enough to satisfy potential offseason suitors to give him another chance.