There were plenty of people taken by surprise when the Panthers and Bills announced a trade sending wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to Buffalo last week, but Benjamin was not one of them.
Benjamin met with the media on Monday for the first time since joining his new club and said that he was not surprised when he learned about the move. Benjamin said, via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com, that he felt the Panthers offense was “heading in a different direction” and that he didn’t fit with where they want it to go.
Benjamin was drafted in the first round of the 2014 draft when the personnel decisions were made by former Panthers General Manager Dave Gettleman with the help of current Bills General Manager Brandon Beane. The Bills offense doesn’t look exactly like the one the Panthers were running in Benjamin’s earlier days with the team, but last Thursday’s loss to the Jets illustrated the need for an outside receiver who can win battles for the ball.
A lack of practice time with the team meant Benjamin was inactive for that game, but he’s going to work this week and should be in the lineup against the Saints next Sunday.