Former Chiefs wideout Kelvin Benjamin is trying out for Giants

A familiar face has resurfaced after a bit in an NFL camp with an interesting twist, as former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin has showed up at New York Giants minicamp hoping to make the team as a tight end.

Benjamin hasn’t played in an NFL game since he caught on with the Chiefs late in the 2018 regular season. That means he’s missed two complete seasons before trying to return now at a new position, which really makes at least some sense given that he’s always had a tremendous frame for the position he played at 6’5, 245 lbs.

Back in December of the 2018 season, Benjamin was finally released by the Buffalo Bills and Brett Veach decided to take a chance on him as a late season addition as the Chiefs general manager. He sat out his first game against the Baltimore Ravens as he was adjusting to the team, but he never earned significant playing time at all after that, with a maximum of 20 percent of the offensive snaps in his first real action on the field in red and gold. Benjamin finished his short stint in K.C. with 2 catches on 5 targets for 26 yards and a forgettable signing.

The Giants have invited former Chiefs WR Kelvin Benjamin to try out.

Benjamin turned heads coming into the NFL as a giant physical target who was the first round pick of the Carolina Panthers back in the 2014 NFL Draft. He made an instant impact with 73 catches for 1,008 yards and 9 touchdowns during his rookie season. Unfortunately an ACL injury cost him his entire sophomore campaign. He returned to have a solid third season with 941 yards and 7 touchdowns, but they were clearly okay with letting him go because they traded him to the Bills for a third and seventh round choice.

While two years away is a long time to be out of the league, Benjamin has the requisite size to create mismatches and he’s proven productive in the past. He’s also only 30 years old, so it’s not as if the minicamp invite feels ridiculously out of reach for the Giants either. It will be interesting to see if he catches on or even how he looks as practices get underway.