Buffalo Bills snare Kelvin Benjamin in trade with Carolina Panthers

By Andy Charles

Image: Kelvin Benjamin is a new member of the Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills beat the trade deadline to secure the services of wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin for a pair of draft picks.

Buffalo sent the Carolina Panthers third and seventh-round picks in the 2018 NFL Draft to add the 26-year-old, one of the biggest targets among wide receivers at 6ft 5ins and 245lbs.

Benjamin was picked 28th in the 2014 draft by the Panthers and proved to be a shrewd pick in his rookie season, when he caught 73 passes for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns.

But Benjamin tore knee ligaments before the 2015 season and returned to something like his best last season, with 63 receptions for 941 yards and seven scores.

He had caught a further 32 passes for 475 yards and two touchdowns in eight games this season with the Panthers before the trade, which came moments before the 3pm deadline on the east coast of the United States.

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The trade sees Benjamin reunited with former Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, who is now Bills coach, and Buffalo's general manager Brandon Beane, who was part of Carolina's front office when the franchise drafted him.

Only one other deal was completed near the deadline, with the New York Jets bringing in cornerback Rashard Robinson from the San Francisco 49ers for a fifth-round pick.

Also See:

Watch Kelvin Benjamin's Buffalo Bills debut against the New York Jets live on Sky Sports Action on Thursday night from 11.30pm.

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